Fashion As A Social Control

Bloodroot(en)

Douglas Tirola’s latest documentary traces the evolution of feminism through the lives of two exceptional women, Noel and Selma, who came of age in the ’50s when women were relegated to the roles of wives and mothers. During the height of the women’s movement, Noel, a former teen model and Playboy bunny, meets and falls in love with Selma, a tough, outspoken radical feminist. Both women choose to leave their comfortable, yet unsatisfying marriages and children to come out as lesbians. The two share a love of cooking and gardening and, in the ’70s, open Bloodroot, the first vegetarian collective restaurant and bookstore in Bridgeport, Connecticut. By interspersing archival footage and clips from The Stepford Wives, Tirola affectionately chronicles the cultural shifts of the last 40 years as Noel and Selma attempt to keep Bloodroot open as an indispensable gathering spot for progressive women.

bell hooks: Cultural Criticism & Transformation(en)

bell hooks is one of America's most accessible public intellectuals. In this two-part video, extensively illustrated with many of the images under analysis, she makes a compelling argument for the transformative power of cultural criticism.

Escape the Corset(ko)

During the Joseon Dynasty, hair that was black and rich, like mud, was a prerequisite for a beauty, while the hair of a woman who was short and stiff was described as negative and ugly. In 1920, the new woman was called Modan (毛斷). Short hair had a strong meaning for women to challenge the established system. Now in 2019, women also cut their hair. It is a movement that rejects the social definition of “feminine”, escaping “Corset” movement.

Jean Paul Gaultier : Freak & Chic(fr)

Inspired even as a boy by the Folies Bergere, the legendary Paris cabaret venue, couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier always wanted to stage a show there. "But what story can I tell?" he muses in this doc about the six months of preparation that went into the show. "Mine." Combining fashion with film, dance, theater, and unapologetic over-the-top-ness, the revue offers a 40-year career retrospective of the designer who is practically never spoken of without using the phrase enfant terrible. Notorious among cinephiles for his costumes for The Fifth Element and The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover and among pop fans for Madonna's pointy cone brassiere, he also incorporated teddy bears and S&M fetish gear as design motifs. In the show, the fanciful and outrageous meets the naughtily witty (a skit sending up Vogue dragon lady Anna Wintour) and the poignant (a tribute to his partner Francis Menuge, who died in 1990).

Papel de Parede(pt)

After Winter Comes Spring(de)

A locomotive journey traversing the North to the South of the German Democratic Republic on the eve of its dissolution. Labourers, punks, mothers, intellectuals, young and old are implored to reflect on their life choices, the sacrifices they've made, and their place in the world. Despite everything, hope persists.

Exteriores - Mulheres Brasileiras na Diplomacia(pt)

Feminism WTF(de)

Feminism WTF is an international Topic Documentary on feminism and gender equality. The film reflects on current debates and analyses the potential of intersectional feminism to profoundly change our future societies.

Step Up and Be Vocal(en)

Interviews from 1999, with some queer artists, activists and bands about queer punk, feminist concepts and actions. Filmed during a trip to San Francisco.

John Singer Sargent: Fashion and Swagger(en)

Filmed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tate Britain, London, the exhibition reveals Sargent’s power to express distinctive personalities, power dynamics and gender identities during this fascinating period of cultural reinvention. Alongside 50 paintings by Sargent sit stunning items of clothing and accessories worn by his subjects, drawing the audience into the artist’s studio. Sargent’s sitters were often wealthy, their clothes costly, but what happens when you turn yourself over to the hands of a great artist? The manufacture of public identity is as controversial and contested today as it was at the turn of the 20th century, but somehow Sargent’s work transcends the social noise and captures an alluring truth with each brush stroke.

Empty Womb(es)

The manifesto of a body that bleeds by nature, the reconnection with the ancestors and the self-portrayed voice of a woman who seeks to break with the oppression that has forced us to experience menstruation with fear, shame and rejection.

Ladyfilmine(it)

A documentary by Giulia Vallicelli about the lady fest that took place in Rome in 2009. This documentary showcases the reality of queer and intersectional feminism in Italy through punk and feminist music.

DIYSEX(es)

DIYSEX is a film that reflects on the use of the image and the language of mainstream pornography, and wonders how far this use can transcend when making your porn film.

El laberinto de las lunas(es)

A film about Karla Ojeda and Maira Ramírez, two transvestites going through adoption, and Gabriela Mansilla, mother of a trans girl. Their stories are intertwined with songs and poems by Susy Shock, a trans artist, poet and writer.

Fairy Tales(zh)

After sharing her clothing designs on social media, working-class country girl Fairy Wang becomes an internet sensation. She soon discovers that fame isn't always a good thing.

Packed Lunch(en)

What is it about Speedos? Well here Australian director Tim Hunter is on a mission to find the answer to the question of why so many gay men can't seem to get enough of hunks in tight fitting trunks? Although somehow I think the answer can be found in the question! Anyway in a bid to discover the truth, Hunter has carried out a series of interviews with men who have more than a passing interest in this briefest of garment, including that of Speedo designer Peter Travis, who here relates his part in the history of 'the male equivalent of the Wonder Bra.'

Not For Sale: Feminism and Art in the USA during the 1970s(en)

This Is Our Scene Too!(id)

A documentary about women in the Indonesian DIY hardcore/punk scene, including interviews with musicians, photographers, and zine-makers.

Working Class(en)

Loosely based on Charles Dicken’s book “A Tale of Two Cities”, Working Class tells the tale of underground street artists Mike Giant and Mike Maxwell and their decade long friendship that started with a tattoo. The story is told through the cities they call home by, cutting back and forth between the neighborhoods of San Francisco and San Diego, as the artists talk about their life philosophies and the work they create.

The Story of Funk: One Nation Under a Groove(en)

A documentary on funk and P-funk and the bands and artists that made it all happen: James Brown, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Maurice White and his Earth Wind & Fire, Average White Band, Kool & The Gang and lots more. It tells the story of black American music and how it evolved from funk to more main stream to disco to hiphop to contemporary R 'n B and its impact on society. Music and live footage from the bands, interviews with artists and band members of Kool & The Gang, Earth Wind & Fire, George Clinton and lots more.