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The Thomas Edison Film Festival -Women’s HERstory Month Marathon
March 9, 2023 @ 12:00 am
The Thomas Edison Film Festival (TEFF) and the Hoboken Historical Museum launch the annual on-demand, Women’s HERstory Month Marathon celebrating women, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming filmmakers, with two virtual programs of selected shorts and a “Meet the Filmmakers” talk with Cheri Gaulke, Cheryl Bookout and festival director Jane Steuerwald. Both programs will be available on-demand for free to the public on the TEFF website at www.tefilmfestival.org.
Program 1 streams on-demand from March 1 until March 31. It features an international selection of films by women, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming filmmakers from Belgium, Canada, Lebanon, Norway, the UK, and the US. See detailed list below.
Program 1 can be viewed at: www.tefilmfest.org > 2023 Season > 2023 Curations > Women’s HERstory Month Program 1 – Selected International Shorts
Program 2 streams on-demand from March 15 to March 31. It features a conversation with festival director Jane Steuerwald and filmmakers Cheri Gaulke and Cheryl Bookout, including a screening of their films – Gloria’s Call, Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color, and Inside the Beauty Bubble.
Program 2 can be viewed at: www.tefilmfest.org > 2023 Season > 2023 Curations > Women’s HERstory Month Program 2 – Meet the Filmmakers – Cheryl Bookout & Cheri Gaulke
To learn more about the Thomas Edison Film Festival and the Thomas A. Edison Media Arts Consortium, visit www.TEFilmFest.org, Jane Steuerwald, Executive Director, +1 201.856.6565, Jane@TEFilmFestival.org. Donations are welcome and much appreciated. To donate, visit the festival’s homepage – www.tefilmfestival.org, and scroll down to “Donate.” Follow us on Social Media for updates.
PROGRAM 1
Heidi Lau’s Spirit Vessels – Documentary 8 min. by Bryan Chang, NY, NY, US
Sculptor Heidi Lau channels personal history, colonial culture, and the spiritual world through her hands to create otherworldly clay works, bridging the opposing worlds of the human and non-human. Set in the Catacombs of Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, we follow the Macau-born artist as she researches traditional Chinese burial objects after her mother’s passing and creates a body of iridescent work that recall funerary vessels and mourning garments.
The Moon Rises During the Day – Animation 3 min. by Na Li, London, UK
This 2D abstract hand-drawn animation comes from Na Li’s improvisational drawings inspired by a piece of music. She visualized the sound through automatic drawing, creating the film in a semi-conscious state. Born in Hunan, China, Na drew symbols to represent the sounds and instruments she heard, using abstract drawings to translate a poem.
Life Left Behind – Screen Dance 6 min. by Valia Phyllis Zwart, Oslo, Norway
Whilst driving, a woman attempts to reconcile with her past and the scars it left behind.
The Sun Sets on Beirut – Narrative 17 min. by Daniela Stephan, Beirut, Lebanon & London, UK
Mounia, in her mid 20s, is joined by her best friend Ghady to find her cat that has been missing since the August 2020 Beirut bombing. But while he is more interested in chatting up British journalist Olivia, Mounia is determined to look at the reality of the aftermath of the bombing in order to find her cat.
Now I’m in the Kitchen – Animation 5 min. by Yana Pan, LA, CA, US
“When I’m cooking my favorite dish that my mom used to make, my thoughts wander alongside the aroma. Through cooking, I reflect on what it means to be independent and my relationship with my mom.”
Quinn – Documentary 30 min. by Eva Colmers, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
“Quinn” is an intimate documentary about change, gender identity and living outside the box. Shot against the backdrop of nature and enriched by drawings and videos of young Quinn, the documentary offers a window into the joys and challenges of Quinn’s gender journey, over 4 seasons and 4 years. This deeply personal, yet surprisingly universal, positive story of change is invigorated by the powerful music of celebrated, non-binary musician Rae Spoon.
Bye Bye Lullaby – Experimental 5 min. by Sonali Gulati and Rohan Gulati, Richmond, VA, US
When you are forced to leave your home, what do you take and what do you leave behind? Using a single long take, “Bye Bye Lullaby” explores the meaning of belonging and belongings, transporting and being transported, passing away and passing down.
Conduit – Animation 5 min. by Lynn Kim, Columbia, MO, US
A running body powers the cycle between states of being. A tribute to Korean musical rituals and the wonder of locomotion, both spiritual and physical.
Pigment–Dispersion Syndrome – Experimental 6 min. by Jennifer Reeves, Brooklyn, NY, US
The diagnosis of an eye disorder incited this meditation on fear and beauty. Glimpses of curious and creative souls peek out of countless hand-painted film frames. Infinite colors and textures burst, blend, and challenge the primacy of uniform vision.
She’s the Protagonist – Narrative 14 min. by Sarah Carlot Jaber, Brussels, Belgium
The Protagonist, is presented to us in her natural environment: a jungle, sadly, often lacking in density. But today enough is enough! Being the mother, the secretary, the lover, the nanny, the baby bottle, the side piece of the main male character is no longer enough for our dear Protagonist! Put on “mute” after the allocated time for female* characters in a film was reached, she runs away with her friend Voice-Over for a new journey with plenty of humor.