Serendip Studio

Abby Field notes 6

Submitted by asweeney on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 1:19pm

What? The volunteer grandmother interrupts the teacher and talks very informally to the students, often scolding the ones she knows but not those that she does not know well. On one of my visits, she scolds her granddaughter very loudly and rather aggressively in front of the entire class. During this same visit (# 7), she tells a different child that she knows to “shut up.” Similarily, she also reminds the teacher of which children in the class have “bad tempers” or “bad attitutes.”

So What? They dynamic between the lead teacher and the volunteer grandmother seems strange to me, as though the lead teacher resents the grandmother but the grandmother wishes very much to be heard and have authority. It is difficult for me not to judge some of the grandmother’s behaviors---like the “shut up” comment and some of the aggressive or mean things she says to other students that she knows in the class (I’m guessing they all live in the same neighborhood”) about calling their parents or keeping their temper in control-----because they just seem terribly inappropriate. Publically labeling certain kids as “bad” seems inappropriate teacher behavior, but the grandmother does this all the time. One of the class mottos is to be “a peaceful problem solver” but I don’t feel like either the teacher-grandmother or grandmother-students relationship is providing a good example of this for the students.

"Value the opportunity to think unguided by the world"

Submitted by Anne Dalke on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 1:01pm

I was reading my Meeting's newsletter this morning. It began w/ this
(so relevant!) quote: Don’t feel restricted by the silence; it is there
to set you free from the pressures of life… Value the opportunity to
think unguided by the world. Learn what you feel you need to know,
let other information pass. No moment of silence is ever a waste of time.
(Rachel Needham, 1987, Quaker Faith and Practice, The Yearly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends [Quakers] in Britain, 1995, 2.17.)

Anne Dalke's blog

Is it dangerous to label certain things are being "relevant" only for certain students?

Submitted by asweeney on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 12:00pm

Today during the presentations the idea that certain themes are more "relevant" to certain students came up. I'm wondering if this is a fair question to ask? While I too see the merit in quetioning whether or not we are teaching certain topics correctly (civil rights, slavery, and the black power movements were discussed in class), I don't think it is necessarily fair to argue that these topics are more relevant to certain students based on race. Perhaps it is true that a black student might glean different meaning from a lesson on US slavery than would his or her peers of different races, but I'm also sure that students of all races would take something important from the lesson. By suggesting that a lesson would be MORE relevant to this student because he or she is black, however, I think we risk re-inforcing a commonly used concept that being white means being "culturless." I'd like to aruge that EVERYTHING we teach in a classroom is equally relevant to all students----relevant to what it means to be a human, and what is means to understand common human phenomena that are still present today in the world---like hate and prejudice. Students of different races might take different forms of meaning from certain topics, but I think it might be dangerous to suggest that some topics are inherently more relevant to certain students. We wouldn't want to block students from exploring things that they find truly interesting simply because they do not belong to the group to which this topic is truly "relevant."

asweeney's blog

Señorita Extraviada

About the Film

Year Released:

2001

Running Time:

74

Documentary/Fiction:

Documentary

Synopsis:

An investigation of a series of murders of young women in a Mexican border town sustained by the presence of NAFTA factories.

http://history.sundance.org/films/2556

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Lourdes Portillo

Production Info

Location:

Ciudad Juarez & Chihuahua, Mexico

Categories About the Film

Genre:

documentary

Keywords:

immigration

state violence and security

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

Chicano/a

Indigenous

Latin American

Latino/a

Mexican

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Olivia Crawford, Julie Mackaman, and Sharon Wood

Producer:

Lourdes Portillo

Cinematographer:

Kyle Kibbe

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

Balcony Releasing

Box Office Earnings:

$8858

Where to find it/How to get it:

DVD widely available

Festivals/Awards:

¨ 2003 - 18th Festival International de Cine de Mar Del Plata
Buenos Aires, Argentina

¨ 2003 - Input Film Festival
Aarhus, Denmark

¨ 2003 - Encuentros Del Otro Cine Film Festival
Equador

¨ 2003 - Havana Film Festival in New York
New York City, N.Y.

¨ 2003 - International Film Festival, "Sguardi Altove"
Milan, Italy

¨ 2003 - Fribourg International Film Festival
Fribourg, Switzerland

¨ 2003 - Outfest 2003
Los Angeles, California

¨ 2003 - Adelaide Film Festival
Adelaid, Australia

¨ 2003 - Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Durham, N. Carolina

¨ 2003 - Florida Film Festival
Maitland, Florida

¨ 2002 - 49th Sydney Film Festival
Sydney, Australia

¨ 2002 - 25th Goteborg Film Festival
Goteborg, Sweden

¨ 2002 - Le Tecniche Festival
Rome, Italy

¨ 2002 - Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
New York City, N.Y.

¨ 2002 - Festival Malaga
Malaga, Spain

¨ 2002 - WesAviv documentary Film Festival
Tel Aviv, Israel

¨ 2002 - New York International Latino Film Festival
New York City, N.Y.

¨ 2002 - 10th Barcelona International Women's Film Festival --
Barcelona, Spain

¨ 2002 - Lateinamerika -- Filmtage
Hamburg, Germany

¨ 2002 - San Diego Latino Film Festival
San Diego, CA

¨ 2002 - Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
Warsaw, Poland

¨ 2002 - Creteil, France Festival
Creteil, France

¨ 2002 - Stanford University Center for Latin American Studies
Stanford, California

¨ 2002 - The 12th Oslo Films from the South Festival
Oslo, Norway

¨ 2002 - 2002 Boston International Festival of Women's Cinema
Boston, Massachusetts

¨ 2002 - Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
London, England

¨ 2002 - 32nd Annual USA Film Festival
Dallas, TX

¨ 2002 - Cine Festival
San Antonio, Texas

¨ 2002 - Alucine 4th Toronto Latin Festival of New Cinema and New Med
Toronto, Canada

¨ 2002 - Ajijic Film Festival
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

¨ 2002 - Cinesol
Austin, Texas

¨ 2002 - Images Du Nouveau Monde Festival
Quebec City, Canada

¨ 2002 - Dallas Video Festival
Dallas, Texas

¨ 2002 - Viennale -- Vienna International Film Festival
Vienna, Austria

¨ 2002 - Semaine de la Critique
Lugano, Switzerland

¨ 2002 - 43rd Festival Dei Popoli
Italy

¨ 2002 - High Falls Film Festival
Washington, D.C.

¨ 2002 - Encounters Documentary Festival
Cape Town, S. Africa

¨ 2002 - 6th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
Los Angeles, California

¨ 2002 - Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva
Spain

¨ 2002 - 4th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
Athens, Greece

¨ 2002 - Human Rights in Film International Film Festival
Warsaw, Poland

¨ 2002 - La Cita Festival de Biarritz
Paris, France

¨ 2002 - 17th Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Santa Barbara, CA

¨ 2002 - Films from the South Awards
Oslo Norway

¨ 2002 - AFI Fest 2002
Los Angeles, CA

¨ 2002 - 46th London Film Festival
London, England

¨ 2002 - Sundance Film Festival
Park City, Utah

¨ 2002 - Auckland Film Festival
Auckland, New Zealand

¨ 2002 - 18th Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival
Chicago, Illinois

¨ 2002 - Praga
Czech Republic

¨ 2002 - XVII Muestra de Cine Mexicano
Guadalajara, Mexico

¨ 2002 - Cinequest Film Festival

¨ 2002 - Panamerican Film Festival
Quebec, Canada

¨ 2002 - 6th Seoul Human Rights Film Festival
Seoul, South Korea

¨ 2002 - Cleveland Film Festival
Cleveland, Ohio

¨ 2002 - Calgary International Film Festival
Calgary, Canada

¨ 2002 - 5th Annual Bangkok Film Festival
Bangkok, Thailand

¨ 2001 - IDFA
Amsterdam, Netherlands

¨ 2001 - Toronto International Festival
Toronto, Canada

¨ 2001 -
venue unknown
Venecia, Italy

¨ 2001 - 49th San Sebastian International Film Festival
Spain

¨ 2001 - Febio Fest
Czech Republic

¨ PREMEIRE: 2001 - Torino Kfilm Festival
Torino, Italy

AWARDS:

2002 - Audience Award for Best Documentary
24th Festival International de Films De Femmes
Creteil, France

2002 - Best Documentary
Malaga Film Festival
Malaga, Spain

2002 - Distinguished Documentary Award
International Documentary Association
Los Angeles, California

2002 - Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award
International Documentary Association
Los Angeles, California

2002 - Women of the Year!
Ms. Magazine

2002 - FIPRESCI Award to Best Foreign Film
Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
Thessaloniki, Greece

2002 - Prix Tempete Radio-Canada Award for Best Feature Film 2002
Images Du Nouveau Monde
Quebec, Canada

2002 - The Nestor Almendros Human Rights Prize
Human Rights Watch New York Film Festival
New York City, N.Y.

2002 - International Premier Award
One World Media Awards
London, England

2002 - Grand Prize "Coral" for Best Documentary
Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano
Havana, Cuba

2002 - Grand Prize, Documentary
Malaga Film Festival
Malaga, Spain

2002 - Distinguished Documentary Award
International Documentary Association
Los Angeles, California

2002 - Special Jury Prize
Sundance Film Festival
Park City, Utah

2002 - Audience Award for Best Documentary
Cinequest
San Jose, California

2003 - Golden Gandhi: for Best Film
Festival Internacional De Cinema Drets Humans
Barcelona, Spain

2003 - Ariel Award, Best Mexican Documentary
Mexican Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences
Mexico City, Mexico

2003 - Golden Gandhi Award for Best Film
Festival Internacional De Cinema Drets Humans
Barcelona, Spain

2003 - First Award to an Artist
Amnesty International
Los Angeles, California

2004 - Prix Documentaire Signis
Prize of the Press
Toulouse, France

2004 - Special Prize of the Jury
Festival de Derechos Humanos de Vitoria
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

http://www.lourdesportillo.com/films/films_senorita.php?category=recognitions&film=senorita

http://www.lourdesportillo.com/films/films_senorita.php?category=showings&film=senorita

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=senoritaextraviada.htm

Links

Link to the official film website:

The Films and Videos of Lourdes Portillo: Señorita Extraviada

Links to Official trailer:

Señorita Extraviada Official Trailer

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

An Interview with Lourdes Portillo by Marnie Binfield

Links to Videos of Interviews:

Filmmaker Interview: Lourdes Portillo (2010)

Link to notable film reviews:

Resisting the Violence of Values Lourdes Portillo’s Señorita Extraviada as Performative Utterance by Mónica F. Torres Department of English, New Mexico State University

Analysis

Personal Film Review and Cultural Context:

Señorita Extraviada, winner of the 2002 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize, is Chicana documentary film maker, Lourdes Portillo’s, stunning documentation of a series of mysterious disappearances and subsequent murders of young female factory workers in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juárez. Portillo has a tradition in her documentaries of fiercely pursuing justice by means of head-on confrontation with oppression—this investigative film is no exception. The documentary pulls us into this tremendously frightening reality with astounding camera work entailing long shot slow pans of the lands and deserts to which these young women are lost backed by mournful traditional funeral hymns. Portillo’s narration poetically draws together pieces of the investigation from several perspectives but especially honing in on the victims’ families’ whose voices ring out in a symphony of confusion, heartbreak and ultimately, outrage at the indifference and secretive manipulation of political authorities. Overall, Señorita Extraviada is a concretely conscious raising film, giving a voice to the grief-stricken, faces to the victims, and insight to the nescient.

Readings:

"An Interview with Lourdes Portillo." Interview by Marnie Binfield. The Velvet Light Trap 2005: 33-38.

Torres, Monica F. "Resisting the Violence of Values Lourdes Portillo’s Señorita Extraviada as Performative Utterance." The Films and Videos of Lordes Portillo. Lourdes Portillo

Circumstance

About the Film

Year Released:

2011

Running Time:

107

Documentary/Fiction:

Fiction

Synopsis:

Teenagers Atafeh, and her best friend, Shireen, are experimenting with their burgeoning sexuality amidst the subculture of Tehran’s underground art scene when Atafeh’s brother, Mehran, returns home from drug rehab as the prodigal son. Battling his demons, Mehran vehemently renounces his former life as a classical musician and joins the morality police. He disapproves of his sister’s developing intimate relationship with Shireen and becomes obsessed with saving Shireen from Atafeh’s influence. Suddenly, the two siblings, who were close confidants, are entangled in a triangle of suspense, surveillance, and betrayal as the once-liberal haven of the family home becomes a place of danger for the beautiful Atafeh.

Splendidly constructed and saturated with a sumptuous sense of style and sensuality, -i-Circumstance-/i- marks the arrival of an exciting, original talent. First-time feature writer/director Maryam Keshavarz registers a rare glimpse of forbidden love in today’s Iranian youth culture.

-Shari Frilot, Sundance Film Festival

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Maryam Keshavarz

Production Info

Reported or Estimated Budget:

$1,000,000

Location:

Beirut, Lebanon

Other Interesting Production Info:

Both the Keshavarz and her film were banned from Iran for this cinematic portrayal. http://www.stardustbrands.com/directors/maryam-keshavarz/bio

Categories About the Film

Genre:

coming of age

drama

romance

Keywords:

activism and social justice

coming of age

family

glbtq

sexuality

spirituality

state violence and security

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

Middle East

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Maryam Keshavarz

Producer:

Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa M. Lee

Cinematographer:

Brian Rigby Hubbard

Primary Cast:

Nikohl Boosheri; Sarah Kazemy; Reza Sixo Safai, Keon Mohajeri

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

Participant Media; Roadside Attractions

Box Office Earnings:

$454121

Where to find it/How to get it:

DVD widely available

Festivals/Awards:

January 2011	(Sundance Film Festival) (premiere)
3 April 2011	(New Directors/New Films)
1 May 2011	(San Francisco International Film Festival)
1 May 2011	(Independent Film Festival of Boston)
8 July 2011	(Paris Cinéma)
12 July 2011	(Outfest Film Festival)
21 August 2011	(Noorderzon Festival Groningen)

5 Septemeber 2011	(Deauville American Film Festival)
24 September 2011	(Zurich Film Festival)
7 October 2011	(Toronto)
9 October 2011	(Paris Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)
22 October 2011	(Tallgrass Film Festival)
2 November 2011	(Amsterdam Film Week)
12 November 2011	(Stockholm International Film Festival)
7 July 2012	(Fire!! Mostra Internacional de Cinema Gay i Lesbià de Barcelona)

Links

Link to the official film website:

CIRCUMSTANCE Written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz

Links to Official trailer:

Circumstance - Official Trailer

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

Interview with Circumstance Writer and Director Maryam Keshavarz

Links to Videos of Interviews:

Cine Outsider interviews writer-director Maryam Keshavarz

Link to notable film reviews:

Film Quarterly: Park City Remix

Circumstance and Dangerous Elicitations of Truth

Analysis

Personal Film Review and Cultural Context:

Circumstance, winner of Sundance’s Audience Award and played at the prestigious MoMA Showcase New Directors/New Films, is a resistant and contradictory film that tackles a deep friendship turned forbidden romance between two young women, Atafeh and Shireen in a post-revolutionary, religiously extremeist Iran. Iranian American director, Maryam Keshavarz’s first narrative film, seamlessly brings to light important themes ranging from the painful exchange of addiction for religious zealously and the societal male-privileges such religiosity enables for Atie’s brother, Mehran, to the class disparities that exist between the two young protagonists and how their economic standing empowers or cripples them as women, especially in a restrictive religious society accompanied by its expectations of the female. Keshavarz employs a brilliant play in light that poignantly relays the evolution of intimacy while simultaneously presenting the dissonance of visibility alongside the self-discovery of these characters’ politicized personhood. Looking in from a outlier’s perspective, we come away with the understanding that this is shrill cry against the violation of the senses. Circumstance is an amazing piece that calls out and reels in the eyes and ears to destroy violating vigilance and to realize the power of seeing.

Readings:

Keshavarz, Maryam. "Interview with Circumstance Writer and Director Maryam Keshavarz." Interview by Melissa Silverstein. Indiewire. A SnagFilms Co., 26 Aug. 2011. Web. <http://blogs.indiewire.com/womenandhollywood/interview_with_circumstance_writer_and_director_maryam_keshavarz>.

Rich, B. Ruby. "Park City Remix." Film Quarterly 64.3 (2011): Film Quarterly. Universtiy of California Press, 2011. <http://www.filmquarterly.org/2011/03/park-city-remix/>.

Rastegar, Roya Z. "Circumstance and Dangerous Elicitations of Truth." Huffington Post. HuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 6 Sept. 2011. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-rastegar/circumstance-and-dangerou_b_947489.html>.

Mississippi Damned

About the Film

Year Released:

2009

Running Time:

120

Documentary/Fiction:

Fiction

Synopsis:

This lusciously photographed period piece set in a lower class southern community in 1986 and 1998, showcases writer-director Tina Mabry's ability to handle the complexities of an ensemble drama with her very first feature. An impoverished black family (including David Malcolm Kelley, who plays Walt on ABC's "Lost") copes with dreams of greater ambitions. Whether confronting sexual tensions (in one case, a latent homosexual relationship) or monetary woes, the characters in "Mississippi Damned" represent the voice of a discontented people, which comes through loud and clear.

~Eric Kohn, IndieWire

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Tina Mabry

Production Info

Location:

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

Other Interesting Production Info:

Their independently built production company called Morgan’s Mark, founded in 2007, produced The film. The company is dedicated to works that reflect the experiences of a variety of marginalized groups, proving that there is a place for those realities within mainstream media.

Categories About the Film

Genre:

coming of age

drama

family

period drama

Keywords:

coming of age

domestic violence

family

glbtq

sexual abuse

sexuality

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

African American

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Tina Mabry

Producer:

Lee. V. Stiff, Morgan R. Stiff

Cinematographer:

Bradford Young

Primary Cast:

Tonea Stewart, Adam Clark, Malcolm Goodwin, Malcolm David Kelley, Jossie Thacker, Tessa Thompson, Simi Khali, D.B. Woodside, Chasity Kershal Hammitte, Kylee Russell, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Michael Beasley, Donna Biscoe, Southey Blanton

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

Morgan's Mark

Where to find it/How to get it:

Streaming (Netflix or other online sites)

Festivals/Awards:

Special Jury Award in Narrative Breakthrough- 2009 Atlanta Film Festival
Jury Award for best American Independent Film – 2009 Philly Film Festival
Jury Award Best Feature Film and Screenplay- 2009 Chicago Int’l Film Festival
Jury award for Best Supporting Actress to Jossie Harris Thacker - 2009 Chicago International Film festival
Grand jury award for Narrative Feature Film at 2000 American Black Film Festival
Grand jury award for Best Actor (Tessa Thompson) – 2009 American Black Film Festival
Grand jury award for Outstanding Dramatic Feature at 2009 Outfest Film Festival
Jury award for best Narrative Feature Film 2009 urban world Film Festival
Audience award for Narrative Feature Film at 2009 Newfest Film Festival

http://www.mississippidamned.com/

Links

Link to the official film website:

Mississippi Damned

Links to Official trailer:

Mississippi

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

Karman Kregloe, “Interview with “Mississippi Damned” Filmmakers Tina Mabry and Morgan Stiff,” New York Times, August 10, 2009 accessed December 17, 2012,

BlackmanVision Film Production

Links to Videos of Interviews:

Interview with Tina Mabry, writer/director of "Mississippi Damned"

Link to notable film reviews:

From a Real Place and Real People: Interview with Mississippi Damned Writer/Director Tina Mabry

Analysis

Readings:

Marlon Rachquel Moore, “From a Real Place and Real People: Interview with Mississippi Damned Writer/Director Tina Mabry,” Black Camera , Vol. 2, No. 2, Special Issue: Beyond Normative: Sexuality and Eroticism in Black Film, Cinema, and Video (Spring 2011), pp. 130-137, Published by: Indiana University Press

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/blackcamera.2.2.130

Go For It!

About the Film

Year Released:

2010

Running Time:

92

Documentary/Fiction:

Fiction

Synopsis:

Carmen is a good student with a bad attitude who lives
for dancing in the underground clubs of Chicago. She
yearns to be “somebody” but is afraid to believe in
herself. Her immigrant Mexican, working-class parents
want her to stay in school and get an education, so she
attends junior college while working at a grocery store.
Carmen's professor catches her performing one day in
the neighborhood and challenges her to audition to a
formal dance school in California. She gets into a fight
with her chaotic family and runs away to her best friend
Gina’s place only to find out Gina’s been getting beat up
by her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Carmen’s boyfriend, Jared
wants her to commit and move in with him. Pulled apart
in every direction, her dream of dancing fades. Can
Carmen overcome her fears and take the biggest chance
of her life, or will she succumb to her self-doubt?

[Based on the filmmaker's experience as a street dancer,
'Go For It!' was created to inspire urban youth to believe
in their inner-strength and follow their dreams.]

http://latinofilm.org/wp-content/uploads/LALIFF10-catalog-web.pdf

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Carmen Marron

Production Info

Reported or Estimated Budget:

100K

Location:

Chicago & Los Angeles

Other Interesting Production Info:

Carmen Marron had her actors wear their own clothes when possible.

Categories About the Film

Genre:

coming of age

dance

drama

Keywords:

coming of age

domestic violence

education

family

interracial relations

urban life

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

Chicano/a

Latino/a

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Carmen Marron

Producer:

Carmen Marron

Cinematographer:

Carmen Marron

Primary Cast:

Aimee Garcia, Al Bandiero, Jossara Jinaro

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

Lionsgate Films, Pantelion Films

Box Office Earnings:

$200000

Where to find it/How to get it:

Streaming (Netflix or other online sites)

Festivals/Awards:

World Premiere- 2010 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival

Boston International Film Festival

Dances with Films Festival-Audience Award

San Antonio Film Festival- Audience Award

Cancun International Film Festival

New York International Latino Film Festival

Links

Link to the official film website:

Go For It!

Links to Official trailer:

Official trailer

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

Written Interview- Carmen Marron

Links to Videos of Interviews:

Video of Carmen Marron

Girlhood

About the Film

Year Released:

2003

Running Time:

82

Documentary/Fiction:

Documentary

Synopsis:

GIRLHOOD tells two coming-of-age stories from the real America: Shanae, ten years old
when she was gang-raped by five boys, responded by drinking and drugging, and then
graduated to murder, with the stabbing death of a friend, at age 11. Megan, whose mother
abandoned her to turn tricks to support her ravaging heroin addiction, ran away from ten
different foster homes before being arrested for attacking another foster child with a box
cutter. Both girls ended up in the Waxter Juvenile Facility, home to Maryland's most
violent juvenile offenders. It is here that their journeys really begin.

SOURCE:http://www.studioclub.com/sxsw.htm

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Liz Garbus

Production Info

Reported or Estimated Budget:

N/A

Location:

Baltimore, Maryland

Categories About the Film

Genre:

coming of age

documentary

Keywords:

coming of age

family

glbtq

incarceration

sexual abuse

urban life

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

African American

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Liz Garbus

Producer:

Liz Garbus/Rory Kennedy

Cinematographer:

Tony Hardmon

Primary Cast:

Shanae Owens, Megan Jensen

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

Wellspring Home Entertainment

Box Office Earnings:

$37827

Where to find it/How to get it:

DVD widely available

Festivals/Awards:

Tribeca Film Festival 2003 (World Premiere)
South by Southwest Film Festival 2003
Nantucket Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival

Audience Award - 2003 SXSW
Best Documentary - 2003 Atlanta Film Festival
Audience Award - 2003 Nantucket Film Festival

Links

Link to the official film website:

Girlhood Film Website

Links to Official trailer:

Girlhood Official Trailer

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

She's Got Moxie: Liz Garbus on "Girlhood" and Lives of Incarceration

Interview with Liz Garbus, Director of Bobby Fischer Against the World

Links to Videos of Interviews:

Scott Feinberg Interviews Liz Garbus

Analysis

Personal Film Review and Cultural Context:

Shanae and Megan’s struggle to come out of the system and integrate back into society is captured in this powerful documentary. A captivating and emotional reflection of how the criminal justice system works and fails both young and old, and the issues with the way the system categorizes people in its correctional methods. Through first person interviews the audience is able to delve into the individual tribulations the girls face in their attempts to find solid ground in a turbulent environment. Liz Garbus’s minimalist style draws the audience into Shanae and Megan’s journey out of a juvenile institution and their determination to reintegrate into the outside world.

-Iliana Domnguez-Franco

Stud Life

About the Film

Year Released:

2012

Running Time:

80

Documentary/Fiction:

Fiction

Synopsis:

"JJ, a black lesbian stud with mad swagger, and her best friend Seb, a cute white twink, do everything together. When JJ meets a beautiful femme named Elle, Seb warns her that the seductress is trouble, to no avail: JJ is determined to have her, whether she’s seeing someone else or not. As JJ becomes more enamored with Elle and they begin a tumultuous, boundary-pushing relationship, and Seb is busy lusting after online conquests while thwarting the advances of a flamboyant drug dealer, their once solid friendship begins to waver. But Elle has something to hide that JJ can’t wrap her mind around, and Seb’s manly cyber crush isn’t all that he seems. As urban London’s homophobia affects both of their lives in different ways, JJ and Seb must lean on each other and both are forced to reevaluate their own stereotypes and beliefs on love and life."

Smith, Angelique. "Stud Life." Frameline. Accessed December 2 2012. http://ticketing.frameline.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=2586&FID=49.

Poster Image:

Director

Film Director:

Campbell X

Production Info

Reported or Estimated Budget:

Raised $9,430 via IndieGogo. Totally self-financed, “micro, nano, like microscopic budget”

Location:

London, England

Other Interesting Production Info:

Microbudget feature length film—raised money via IndieGogo; shot in 10 days; 13 days of production; two weeks of rehearsal, which included T’Nia living as a stud; two week casting process.

Categories About the Film

Genre:

comedy

drama

romance

Keywords:

art and culture

glbtq

interracial relations

sexuality

urban life

Racial/Ethnic Affiliation:

African

British

Caribbean

European

Filmmaking Team

Writer's Name:

Campbell X

Producer:

Stella Nwimo, Nadya Kassam, Lulu Belliveau

Primary Cast:

T'Nia Miller, Kyle Treslove, Robyn Kerr, Simon Savory

Exhibition/Distribution Info

Distributor:

Wolfe Releasing

Where to find it/How to get it:

Direct from Distributor

Festivals/Awards:

World premiere at the BFI London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, 2012
Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (Outfest) 2012
San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival 2012

Links

Link to the official film website:

Stud Life Official Website

Links to Official trailer:

Stud Life Trailer

Links to interviews (written) with Director/Filmmakers:

Interview with Filmmaker Campbell X About Being Fierce Queer and Black in the UK

Links to Videos of Interviews:

Frameline36: Stud Life Interview

Link to notable film reviews:

Exclusive: British Filmmaker Campbell X Talks 'Stud Life', Making Of Feature Debut & More

Analysis

Personal Film Review and Cultural Context:

Stud Life takes place in London and follows JJ, a black stud, their white gay friend Seb, and Elle, a black femme and JJ’s love interest. The collision of vastly different sexualities in the film challenges the perception that there is only one way to be a lesbian. JJ embraces this difference: “It takes all sorts to make a lesbian nation.” JJ’s photography captures resistance toward the conventions of sexuality and relationships—one photoshoot stages a civil partnership so a man can avoid deportation. With Campbell’s great direction, the film tastefully and respectfully explores relationships with non-traditional components while presenting the characters as their multi-faceted, complex selves. The sex scenes reveal insightful truths about the characters and how they connect to others aided by the actors’ genuine performances. Elle’s character complicates the representation of femme identity, raising questions about the intersections of race, power, and capitalism.

- Maria Aghazarian