On February 17, the fifteenth annual International Women’s Film Festival film screenings will begin rolling at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center. The festival is sponsored by the University at Buffalo’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender and is comprised of nine different film screenings. The screenings will take place on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. from February 17 to March 31. There will also be a screening on Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20 at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center and one on Wednesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at Squeaky Wheel Micro Cinema.
“The intent of the festival has always been to highlight the diversity of work made by international women filmmakers and help expose local audiences to films they would not otherwise have the opportunity to see,” said Ruth Goldman, the event’s programmer. Goldman, who has been running the show for two years now, is responsible for selecting films that are unique, provocative, and diverse. She completes endless research and screening until she finds the best variety of underground films for her audiences.
“The topics and approaches to each film are all quite different and although they don’t take up much screen time, I expect some of the shorts will leave a surprisingly strong impact on audiences,” Goldman said.
Topics covered by the films range from the historical persecution of women to the role of women in war, the lives of women in Iran, the Feminist Art Movement and more. There will be a total of seven feature films and nine short films that will accompany them. The complete film screening schedule and a description of each film can be accessed here.
Each night of the festival, the screenings will be followed by a discussion. This will bring together the perspectives of those in the audience and those of members of the university on the issues presented in the films. Goldman hopes that each audience member will leave the screenings with additional insight about the films themselves.
“I hope that audiences will appreciate the depth and breadth of filmmaking by women, she said. “We don’t see many Hollywood films directed by women, but women are every bit as capable and prolific in the world of filmmaking. I hope this festival motivates people to seek out more independent films and also hope that audiences will appreciate a little bit about what goes into making a film and why all filmmakers don’t use conventional narrative styles.”
The price of admission will be $9 general and $6 for students, seniors, Hallwalls and Squeaky Wheel members. The Market Arcade is located at 639 Main Street. For more information, visit the film fest webpage.
Image: Granaz Moussavi’s My Tehran for Sale (2009)