FALL 2008 FILM SERIES: TRANSGRESSIONS AND TRANSFORMATIONS
Mr. And Mrs. Iyer (Aparna Sen; 2002; 120 min.)
Tuesday, September 23, 7:00 p.m.
Gaines Center’s Bingham-Davis House, 218 E. Maxwell Street
This feature film by a leading feminist filmmaker in India “focuses on communal bloodshed between India’s Hindus and Muslims [and is a] plea for an end to sectarian violence…” Hindu and mother Meenakshi Iyer and Muslim and wildlife photographer Raja Chowdhary meet on a bus; both are bound for Calcutta. When the bus is stopped by a roadblock and Hindu vigilantes board the bus, Meenakshi’s actions-- entirely against her upbringing—change her life forever. “The well-acted romance, as the two principal characters are thrown together by unanticipated events, is hard to resist…”--Lawrence Van Gwelder, New York Times
Commentary and discussion led by Lucinda Ramberg, Assistant Professor in Gender and Women’s Studies, whose research in South Asia engages questions about sexuality, gender, religion and power.
Made in LA (Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar; 2007; 70 min.)
Monday, October 6, 7:00 p.m.
Gaines Center’s Bingham-Davis House, 218 E. Maxwell Street
Made in L.A. follows the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants working in Los Angeles garment sweatshops as they embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from trendy clothing retailer Forever 21. In intimate observational style, this bilingual documentary reveals the impact of the struggle on the women’s lives as they are gradually transformed by the experience. "Un estremecedor e inspirador documental sobre la incesante lucha de costureras indocumentadas contra una poderosa compañía de Los Angeles." [A heartrending and inspiring documentary about the constant struggle of undocumented garment workers against a powerful company in Los Angeles"]—El Pais Semanal "Shot and directed with a sympathetic ear and eye… it is a valuable and moving film -- and entertaining as well -- not merely for what it says about the continuing need for organized labor, and of the difficulty of keeping it organized, but also about how that process affects individual lives in ways beyond the wage.”—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times
This film is being screened to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Central Kentucky Council for Peace and Justice and to honor Hispanic Heritage Month
Commentary and discussion led by Cristina Alcalde, Assistant Professor in Gender and Women's Studies, whose work focuses on gender, class, race, resistance, and domestic violence in Peru and among Latinos in the U.S.
The Education of Shelby Knox (Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt; 2005; 76 min.)
Wednesday, October 29, 7:00 p.m.
Gaines Center’s Bingham-Davis House, 218 E. Maxwell Street
“Shelby Knox is a brave, smart, independent high-school-age crusader for sex education in Lubbock, Texas…The movie…is a pungent civics lesson on what can and cannot be accomplished by one plucky, idealistic girl.”--Stephen Holden, New York Times “Wherever Shelby’s fearlessness comes from, it’s a thing to behold.”--Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star “If ever there was a documentary about morality and values that could appeal to both ‘red’ and ‘blue’ state Americans, this is it. What is perhaps most striking about The Education of Shelby Knox is its honest, humane and
respectful point of view.”--Chris Herlinger, Religion News Service 2005 Sundance Film Festival, “Best Cinematography”
Commentary and discussion led by Lexington high school students Delaney Courtney-Gibbs and friends.
Girls Rock! (Arne Johnson, Shane King; 2008; 90 min.)
Friday, November 14, 8:00 p.m.
Worsham Theatre, UK Student Center
Susan Bordo, Acting Director of Gender and Women’s Studies, Professor of English and Gender and Women's Studies and the Otis A. Singletary Chair in the Humanities will introduce the film and lead discussion afterward. Dr. Bordo often comments on and writes about gender and film for both popular and scholarly publications
“[This]dead-clever doc lets the famous rockers who volunteer their time (Carrie Brownstein, Beth Ditto) fade into the background and focuses on the amazing kids who grow and rock at camp...The film uses an aesthetic borrowed from zines, music videos and campy mental hygiene films, a Kathleen Hanna-heavy soundtrack and tons of sociological data. Most impressive, however, is the fact that they refuse to portray Rock 'n' Roll Camp as idyllic, exposing the flaws – catfights, pariahs – that exist even in a girl-positive space."--- Sarah Liss, Now Magazine “Irresistible”-- Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times [Girls Rock!] deftly explor[es] issues of empowerment, popularity, body image, anger and the enemy that is Britney Spears. Bring your daughters."--- Moria Macdonald, Seattle Times
A collaboration between Gender and Women’s Studies and the Student Center’s Late Night Film Series, this screening received generous support from the Student Center Director’s Office for the public performance rights to this film.
Finding Christa (Camille Billops, James Hatch; 1991; 55 min.)
Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 p.m.
Gaines Center’s Bingham-Davis House, 218 E. Maxwell Street
“In 1962 [the filmmaker] gave up her 4-year-old daughter, Christa Victoria, for adoption. Eighteen years later, Ms. Billops, who had since married and become a painter and sculptor, was reunited with Christa. [Finding Christa is a] documentary about that reconciliation, and what a mass of fascinating contradictions it is!...[This film] is a densely packed amalgam of feminism, individualism, interracial relations, art and show business..[A]rich and haunting film.”—Vincent Canby, New York Times. 1992 Sundance Film Festival, “Grand Jury Prize”
Commentary and discussion led by Kathi Kern, Associate Professor of history, whose research focuses on the ways in which politics, gender, and religion have mixed to create new ideological positions and social change in the United States. She also has a particular interest in the history of adoption in the U.S. which is rooted in her own adoption.
All films free and open to the public
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