Melbourne Women in FIlm Festival 2021 : More than
Melbourne Women in FIlm Festival 2021 : More than
History
Location
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (online), The Capitol, Palace Kino Cinemas,Start date
2021-02-17End date
2021-02-24Language
engNotes
More Than…MWFF's 2021 festival explores the creation of screen storytelling as an expressive art form for activism, acknowledging the past as we envision the future. Film is a powerful medium to tell important stories - it is more than something we just watch on our screens. Film has impact and creates change. MWFF is proud to present a program that showcases bold and socially relevant films and web series from gender diverse Australian, Aotearoa New Zealand and Moana Pasifika filmmakers. With experiences online and in cinemas, MWFF celebrates its 5th edition cultivating a culture of equality and some exceptional filmmaking.Research statement
Research Background Women’s activist filmmaking has a long history of revealing social inequalities, documenting subjective experiences, and connecting the personal to the political (Ulfsdotter and Backman Rogers, 2018). From 1970s Australian feminist filmmaking collectives that examined women’s inequity across society to more recent explorations of women’s intersecting oppressions and unique perspectives on the environment, film is a powerful catalyst to initiate meaningful conversations that work towards effective social change. Emerging from 2020’s many social upheavals (the extinction rebellion, #BLM, and COVID-19), the Melbourne Women in Film Festival’s 2021 programme foregrounded past activist agendas relating to Indigenous, gender and human rights, and climate change to provoke conversations and pose the question of how we draw from past activist agendas to establish an equitable future for diverse communities of women. Research Contribution As festival director overseeing the curated programme, connections were generated between retrospective and contemporary feature films, documentaries, and experimental works to platform the ongoing impact of gender inequality (Brazen Hussies, 2020; Bread and Roses, 1991), Black deaths in custody (Welcome to Wee Waa, 1982), and climate change (The Weather Diaries, 2020) on Australian socio-political life. By positioning these films in dialogue and alongside accompanying panels, Q&As and introductions, the programme revealed the persistence of these issues and that continued activism was still needed to create meaningful change for future generations of diverse women to thrive. Research Significance Funding by Film Victoria and City of Melbourne and exhibiting at premier screening venues The Capitol, Palace cinemas and ACMI’s Cinema 3 (accessible to online audiences nationally) indicates the importance of the festival in showcasing the past and present of women’s activist filmmaking.Publication classification
JC2 Curated Exhibition or Event – Exhibition/EventScale
NTRO MinorExtent
1 digital festival programme 4 colour stillsEditor/Contributor(s)
Stevens K, Loreck J, Monaghan WEvent
Melbourne Women in Film Festival 2021Publisher
Australian Centre for the Moving Image (online), The Capitol, Palace Kino Cinemas,Place of publication
Melbourne, Vic.Usage metrics
Keywords
Activist filmAustralian film festivalsWomen's filmmakingSchool of Communication and Creative Arts190299 Film, Television and Digital Media not elsewhere classified200212 Screen and Media Culture970119 Expanding Knowledge through Studies of the Creative Arts and Writing3605 Screen and digital media4702 Cultural studies
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC