A two-month initiative to screen more films by directed by women, non binary and trans filmmakers will be launched at Liverpool Small Cinema tonight (5 May).
A team of programmers at the Victoria Street venue is behind the ‘58%’ season to address gender imbalance among the films shown.
A showing of ‘Born in Flames’ (pictured) by Lizzie Borden tonight will be followed by a packed programme of specially picked films throughout June and July, which will also be accompanied by activities such as workshops and podcasts as Small Cinema explores what cinemas would be like if work by women took the majority of the schedule.
Shorts by local female, non binary and trans filmmakers will also be screened, and the venue is calling for directors to get in touch with their work.
Jo Mohammed, a Liverpool Small Cinema programmer leading the initiative alongside Michael Pierce, Monika Rodrigues and Stef Bradley, says: “The project came about when we were preparing a screening for International Women’s Day this year, where we noticed that in our first year operating as a cinema only 18% of the film we had screened were directed by women.
“We felt it was important to address this gender imbalance and came up with 58% as way to platform the often under represented female, non binary and trans filmmakers.
“The initial 58% season is supported by Film Hub North West’s Audience Development Fund and will run throughout June and July 2016 as a way to engage the rest of the cinema team, our wider pool of volunteers and our audience equally to collaborate and initiate dialogue about the wider benefits of 58%.”
Beyond the 58% season, Liverpool Small Cinema is looking to continue the large presence of female, non binary and trans filmmakers in its programming and also hopes to encourage other organisations and cinemas to join its #pledgeforparity campaign.
To put forward a short film for 58%, email 58pcnt@gmail.com
The full line-up of films during the 58% season is as follows:
2 June – WATERMELON WOMAN / Dir. Cheryl Duney / 1997
8June – Maria Lassnig films as part of a Colabration with Tate Liverpool
12 June – Diary of A Teenage Girl / Dir. Marielle Heller / 2015
14 June – 52 Tuesdays / Dir. Sophie Hyde / 2013
16 June – Something Must Break / Dir. Ester Martin Bergsmark / 2014
23 June – One Sings The Other Dosen’t / Dir. Agnes Varda / 1977
6 July – A Girl At My Door / July Jung / 2014
7 July – Pet Cemetry / Dir. Mary Lambert / 1989
14 July- Holy Girl / Dir. Lucrecia Martel / 2005
17 July – Teen Club TBC
17 July – Wildwood, NJ / Dir. Ruth Leitman & Carol Weaks Cassidy
28 July – Elsewhere Cinema TBC
31 July – Merseyside Polonia TBC
Related posts:
Small Cinema’s post-closure future ‘being discussed’
Dry bar The Brink gets ready to celebrate fifth birthday
Liverpool lines up International Women’s Day celebrations
LightNight Liverpool highlight: Rotation Eighteen269 at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Iconic sculpture returns to Bluecoat as part of 300th anniversary finale
Spectacular programme announced to celebrate cruise terminal’s 10th birthday
