Paradigm Shift

Feminist and anti-violence educator Jackson Katz discusses the ways in which men are constructed to be violent. Katz makes the point that men have a responsibility to deal with these negative forms of masculinity, even though women are typically the ones bringing attention to the issue. He discusses the importance of alternative masculinities, and how both men and women can help bring this change.

Viewer Feedback:
Overcoming violent and oppressive forms of masculinity is definitely a feminist issue; however, as Katz points out, these forms of masculinity are detrimental to men—not just women. Why are many men so defensive of a certain type of masculinity? Why are so many men reluctant to identify as feminists, even if they hold feminist values?

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Comedian and transvestite Eddie Izzard gets asked to discuss his views on feminism during a Q & A. He responds that he is a feminist, and believes that gender equality has been prevented by “weak character men.”

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At the beginning of this clip, Eddie Izzard says that he does not know exactly how “feminist” would be defined, but that he identifies as a feminist. Although with him it was not the case, many people do not call themselves feminists because they have certain connotations of the word in their mind. Why is it so difficult for much of society to understand and accept the definition of feminism?
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BASED ON A TRUE STORY
Stranded in a remote Iranian village, a French journalist is approached by Zahra, a woman who has a harrowing tale to tell about her niece, Soraya, and the bloody circumstances of her death the day before…

As the journalist turns on his tape recorder, Zahra takes us back to the beginning of her story which involves Soraya’s husband, the local phony mullah, and a town all too easily led down a path of deceit, coercion, and hysteria. The women, stripped of all rights and without recourse, nobly confront the overwhelming desires of corrupt men who use and abuse their authority to condemn Soraya, an innocent but inconvenient wife, to an unjust and torturous death.

A shocking and true drama, it exposes the dark power of mob rule, uncivil law, and the utter lack of human rights for women. The last and only hope for some measure of justice lies in the hands of the journalist who must escape with the story — and his life — so the world will know.

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glucose, wells in India, study on social interaction, andrew downing creator of suburb, supreme court justice john robert’s view, finns reading habits, wall street influence on book publishing, why the federal government subsidize school lunches, stoop, water consumption, and international tv viewing

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Filmmaker: Liane Thompson :: New York Times Television, emmy
winning producer

Over ten thousand missiles have been fired at Sderot in the past eight
years. More than 86% of the town’s children suffer from Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder and the only clinic that helps these kids is scheduled
to shut down this July due to lack of funding. This clip is intended
to finance a project to raise awareness worldwide about the the
children of Sderot.

Please see www.sderotmedia.com or www.childrenofmissilecity.com if you
wish to donate.

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Description from http://www.hrw.org/en/iff/tapologo:
“Freedom Park squatter camp, situated in the Northwest province, accommodates a migrant workforce that mines the world’s largest single source of platinum. The women in this community service the needs of the male miners as a means of basic survival. A group of former sex workers living with HIV have created a network called Tapologo and have learnt to be home-based care-workers, joining in solidarity to care for others in the community living with HIV. As we learn each woman’s story, we come to understand how she herself was transformed—from someone who had lost hope into someone who decided to help others in the same situation.”

Filmmaker: Sally Gutierrez Dewar

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These women worked together to rise above their circumstances. Are women stronger in numbers than alone? What does this film say about the importance of the feminist movement and finding sisterhood?

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Filmmakers: Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater

Description from http://www.hrw.org/en/iff/mrs-goundos-daughter:
“Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter is the sensitively told story of a Malian mother’s fight for asylum in the US to protect her two-year-old from female genital cutting. To stay in the US, Goundo must persuade an immigration judge that her US-born daughter, Djenabou, will suffer this procedure if Goundo is deported. In Mali, where 85 percent of women and girls experience clitoral excision, Goundo and her husband are convinced they would be powerless to protect their daughter from her grandparents, who believe all girls should be excised. The film bridges Goundo’s two worlds, expertly interweaving scenes from Mali of girls preparing for an excision ceremony and scenes from Philadelphia where those who have survived the procedure share their stories.”

Viewer Feedback:
How can respecting cultural values and promoting women’s health and a positive sexuality be balanced? Are there any counterparts in our society to ritual female genital mutilation?

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Description by http://www.hrw.org/en/iff/afghan-star:
“Pop culture has returned to Afghanistan. Over 2,000 people are auditioning for Afghan Pop Idol and even three women have come forward to try their luck. But in this troubled country, even music is dangerously controversial. Many of those taking part are literally risking their lives. Yet millions of people watch the show and vote by text from their cellphone for their favorite singers. We meet Rafi, a boy from Mazar-e-Sharif with a strong voice and a pretty face, Lima, a young woman from Kandahar who fears for her life every time she goes home, Hammeed, a young musician and classically trained singer from the Hazara ethnic group, and Setara, a controversial figure from Herat who wears the latest fashions and Bollywood make up. *Winner World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary and World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary, Sundance Film Festival 2009”

Filmmaker: Havana Marking

Viewer Feedback:
Why would people risk this kind of danger? What is so important about freedom of expression? What is important about freedom of expression in the feminist movement?

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