UNC Asheville
will hold the seventh annual "F-Word Film Festival: A Celebration of
Images by and About Women (But for All Audiences) at 7 p.m. March 15
and 16 in UNC Asheville's Humanities Lecture Hall. Five feminist
documentaries will be screened in conjunction with UNC Asheville’s
Women’s History Month events. Panel discussions with UNC Asheville
faculty and students will immediately follow the screenings both
nights. Films are free and open to the public but are suggested for
mature audiences.
“The Beauty
Academy of Kabul” and “Speak Out: I Had an Abortion” will be
screened on Thursday, March 15.
“The Beauty
Academy of Kabul” explores the relationship between Western
hairstylists and the women they teach after opening a beauty school
in post-Taliban Afghanistan. This 74-minute film follows the
establishment of American-style beauty school in the capital city
of Kabul. It offers a rare glimpse into Afghan women's lives, and
documents the poignant and often humorous process through which
women with very different experiences of life come to learn about
one another.
“Speak Out: I
Had an Abortion” features 10 women ranging in age from 21 to 85 who
have had an abortion. The diverse group of women who share their
experiences – from an octogenarian who had an illegal abortion in
1938 to women who had medical procedures in the 21st century –
demonstrates that the topic affects all women.
“I was a
Teenage Feminist,” “Far from Home” and “Nalini by Day, Nancy by
Night” will be shown on Friday, March 16.
“I Was a
Teenage Feminist” explores why young, progressive women feel
uncomfortable identifying with feminism. When did feminism become a
bad word? Why is it that young independent, progressive women in
today's society feel uncomfortable identifying with the f-word? In
"I Was a Teenage Feminist," filmmaker Therese Shechter takes a
funny, moving and personal journey into the heart of feminism in the
21st century.
“Far from
Home” follows the life of African-American teenager Kandice, who
participates in a voluntary school integration in Boston. In the
film, Kandice shares her feelings and keen observations about
traversing between worlds while tackling life as the first black
class president at her high school and preparing for college. "Far
from Home" also weaves in Kandice's family history: her grandfather,
a civil rights activist who was murdered in 1968, created the
bussing program and her mother was among the first black students
bused to the suburbs in the late 1960s.
“Nalini by
Day, Nancy by Night" is a documentary which examines the outsourcing
of American jobs to India. The film journeys into India’s call
centers, where telemarketers acquire American names and accents to
service the American telephone-support industry. The film
incorporates animation, live action and archival footage to explore
the complexities of globalization, capitalism and identity.
For more
information, call Lori Horvitz, UNC Asheville associate professor of
literature and language, at 828/251-6590.
