1970s Women Filmmakers
A program of five short documentaries from women filmmakers in the 1970s.
After the screenings, we will be joined by filmmakers Liane Brandon and Miriam Weinstein for a post-film discussion.
Program:
Sometimes I Wonder Who I Am
dir. Liane Brandon 1970, 5min
Betty Tells Her Story
dir. Liane Brandon 1972, 20min
Call Me Mama
dir. Miriam Weinstein 1977, 14min
Clorae and Albie
dir. Joyce Chopra 1976, 36min
Joyce at 34
dir. Joyce Chopra 1972, 20min
About Liane Brandon
Liane Brandon is a filmmaker, photographer, and Professor Emeritus, UMass Amherst. Brandon is considered an influential figure in the Women’s Movement of the 1970s. She is a co-founder of New Day Films, a filmmakers’ distribution cooperative. She has also been an advocate for media artists and won a 1977 landmark case securing copyright protection for filmmakers. The screening showcases two of her films, Sometimes I Wonder Who I Am, and Betty Tells Her Story, each groundbreaking in form and the taboo issues for women they bring to light.
About Miriam Weinstein
Miriam Weinstein is a filmmaker, painter, and author of numerous books. Her work in film from the 1970s includes My Father the Doctor, Living With Peter, and We Get Married Twice. The screening showcases her fourth film, Call Me Mama, which follows her previous films chronologically and thematically. The film, which chronicles Weinstein having her first child, bravely explores the ambivalence she felt as a new mother and the adjustments she was required to make along the way.
About Joyce Chopra
Joyce Chopra is a producer and director of documentary and narrative film, as well as work for television. Her breakout fictional film, Smooth Talk, won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for Best Dramatic Feature (1985). She is also an early member of New Day Films, a filmmakers’ distribution cooperative. The screening showcases Joyce at 34, her early autobiographical film, known for being the first portrayal of a live birth on television. The film was also radical for its unapologetic take on the conflict between becoming a mother and continuing to be a filmmaker. The other film, Chlorae and Albi, is a portrait of the friendship between two young Black women in Boston who have known each other since childhood, and whose lives are taking different paths.
