Saturday, March 7, 2–7 p.m.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
McEvoy Auditorium, 8th and F Streets, NW, Washington DC, 20004
This year the Women Filmmakers Festival recognizes the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. From conjuring a legal system run entirely by women to proposing female factory workers fight censorship through secret messages encoded in beef DNA, the featured filmmakers are imagining radical alternate futures based on women’s empowerment and challenging the social order. Space is limited, and seating is on a first come, first served basis. Free, registration required.
Explore Micha Cárdenas’s interactive Twine game, Redshift & Portalmetal (2014), where players are a trans woman of color, preparing for migration and settlement in space. The game is available in the McEvoy Auditorium Lobby during the program.
The lineup of shorts showcases experimental videos by internationally acclaimed artists, and a post-screening discussion and Q&A with Meriem Bennani and Jen Liu.
A special screening of the landmark feature film Born In Flames (R, 1983). This remastered indie classic chronicles an intersectional feminist rebellion that emerges a decade into a dystopian social democratic revolution. This raw and confrontational film examines issues of race, class, and sexism in ways that remain provocative and resonant today. Director Lizzie Borden and SAAM Curator of Time-based Media Saisha Grayson lead a post-screening discussion.
Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Eaton DC for a two-day film festival that highlights women and nonbinary artists working outside the Hollywood game, making their own rules, and seeking adventurous audiences for their bold visions.
Friday, March 6—Eaton DC hosts a night of shorts featuring innovative local filmmakers.
Saturday, March 7— Smithsonian American Art Museum showcases an afternoon lineup of short films and conversations with artists. Then, enjoy a special feature length screening of the indie classic Born in Flames (R, 1983) and a discussion with director Lizzie Borden.
Free. Separate registration is required for each day. Seating is on a first come, first served basis.
Women Filmmakers Festival at SAAM is supported by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. The Initiative is inclusive, highlighting the stories of those who identify as women and those who were designated female but self-identify differently. Additional in-kind support provided by Eaton DC.
Friday, March 6, 7–9 p.m.
Eaton DC (1201 K Street NW)
Celebrate local artists and discover work by some of the best filmmakers from DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Hosted at Eaton DC, these films share past, present, and future visions of female empowerment. Filmmakers will be available after the screenings for conversation and a reception. Space is limited, and seating is on a first come, first served basis. Free, registration required.
This program is co-organized with Eaton DC Curator Sheldon Scott.
Image credit: Still from Jen Liu, Pink Slime Caeser Shift, 2018. © Jen Liu.