A line-up of films all by female directors? Yes please!
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS, IMAGE STILL FROM THE ARCHIVETTES
The Oscars might have snubbed every female director under the sun this year, but Femspectives – Glasgow Feminist Film Festival, is continuing to champion films directed by womxn for the second year running.
The full programme has been announced for Femspectives, which is taking place at Civic House in Glasgow. Running from Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 February, it promises to celebrate diverse international talent alongside the best in local homegrown filmmaking.
The first screening will be Vai, a delicate and empowering ensemble piece from nine Pacific directors and filmed in seven different Pacific countries. It’s a meditative exploration of disappearing traditions through a portrait of one woman’s life, played by different indigenous actors throughout.
Closing the festival is Made In Scotland – a night showcasing some of the best womxn voices in Scottish filmmaking, featuring shorts from Raisah Ahmad, Alison Piper and more.
The 2020 festival is based around three themes – It’s Complicated (a deep-dive into the complex and nuanced experiences of the relationships womxn have with one another), Collective Memory: Trauma & Nation (stories that explore the power of memory) and Autonomy (films of different personal struggles, enquiring into what happens when the right to self-determination is reclaimed).
Co-founders and producers of Femspectives Lauren Clarke and Kathi Kamleitner said: “We are very excited for Femspectives to return for its second edition in 2020. There is a tangible interest in supporting the work of womxn and engaging with feminist content, and we are very happy to be one of many organisations providing these opportunities to Glasgow audiences.”
Building on the success of the first edition, Femspectives 2020 festival programme has doubled the number of events and will feature a wider selection of films and events. What more could you want?
Some DIVA Highlights:
Little Miss Westie – a heartwarming documentary following Ren McCarthy as she becomes the first trans girl to compete in her town’s Lil Miss Westie pageant, navigating puberty and gender norms in Trump’s America.
The Archivettes – a fascinating origin story of the creation of The Lesbian Herstory Archives in New York in the 1970s by Deborah Edel and Joan Nestle. Over 40 years later, the archive is the world’s largest collection of materials by and about lesbians and still flourishing.
Tickets to all events are on sale now, priced on an honesty scale of “pay what you can afford” from free / £2 / £4 / £6. Find out more about the pricing scale and book online at www.femspectives.com.
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