Made with love: What can feminist cinema be like?

The Radical Love programme was created as the Filma collective were looking for films that balance their artistic statements with their political stances. We have put a special focus on the cinema that is sensitive to the filmed subjects, where the directors reflect on their experiences and/or prefer the slow filmmaking defying the notions of commercial and symbolic success within the film industry. The concept of radical love has helped us combine such different films into a single programme without assigning a particular positionality to the directors and their films.

Together with the authors of the films in the programme, we would like to discuss the role of political and/or feminist positionality in cinema and art practices.

We are also inviting the directors of “The Wonderful Years” to join the discussion, because we consider this film a great example of the Ukrainian feminist cinema about radical love that exists beyond all limitations.

Moderated by Filma collective

Participants

Photo of the director of the film "Decision"

Pushpa Rawat has been interested in filmmaking ever since she attended a filmmaking workshop by documentary filmmaker Anupama Srinivasan at National Bal Bhawan in 2007. During her time in National Bal Bhavan, Pushpa and her peers made a short documentary “Nazar” on a school for the people with full or partial sight loss. In 2007 she co-directed a short documentary Kyon about gender-based violence. “Nirnay'' was her debut film as a director. Since then, she received the TISS-SMCS Early Career Fellowship, and shot her second film ”Mod” (The Turn). “Mod” was the winner of the Silver Award at IDPA Awards for Excellence.

Photo of the director of the film "Little Red Riding Hood"

Tatiana Mazú González was born in Buenos Aires, 1989. She lives on the outskirts of the city among cats and plants, in what used to be her grandmother’s house. She’s a documentary-experimental director and visual artist. Left-wing and feminist activist who once wanted to be a biologist or geographer: today her imaginary explores the links between people and spaces, the microscopic and the immense, the personal and the political, the childish and the dark. Films, photographs, draws, designs and sews.

Photo of the director of the film "The Wonderful Years"

Svitlana Shymko is an independent director, a graduate of the DocNomads International MA program in documentary film directing. Her short films were shown and received awards at numerous international film festivals. She is developing political, social, and feminist topics in documentary.

Galina Yarmanova is an independent researcher, graduate of an international MA program in Gender Studies in Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. She teaches courses on gender, sexuality and feminism in Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Her research interests include topics on reproduction and sexual rights, moral panics of sexuality, influence of nationalism and imperialism on current sexual politics in Ukraine.

Photo of the director of the film "A Quiet Resistance"

Therese Koppe was born in Berlin (East) in 1985. She works as a film director and author for documentary forms in Berlin. In 2020 she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Directing Documentary. A Quiet Resistance is her graduation project and premiered in the German competition of DOK Leipzig 2020, won the audience award at Duisburger Film Week and has been screened at Kassel Dokfest, International Women Film Festival Cologne, Florence Queer Film festival among others.