This month’s selection of documentaries look at the world through the eyes of women. Whether comparing the lives of girls in different countries, examining body-image pressures, following a dancer who’s learning filmmaking in her 90s, or chronicling the burgeoning sport of roller derby, these five films are full of examples of courage and earned wisdom.
Embrace
In 2013, Taryn Brumfitt posted a “before-and-after” image of herself on Facebook, with “after” being the result of dropping her extreme bodybuilding routine. It was shared more than 100 million times, turning Brumfitt into a body-image activist. Her documentary explores how social pressures promote feelings of unworthiness and self-loathing among women. Along the way, the film becomes an inspiration for change.
Winter at Westbeth
Rohan Spong spent a year documenting the lives of three artists living in New York City’s Westbeth Artists Housing: 82-year-old poet and second-wave feminist Ilsa Gilbert, 75-year-old African-American choreographer Dudley Williams, and 92-year-old former dancer turned filmmaker Edith Stephen. The three share their experiences as they work towards their next projects and look back on lives spent in New York’s vibrant artistic community.
National Gallery
Few documentary filmmakers are held in higher regard than Frederick Wiseman. Here, the octogenarian director applies his observational approach – no interviews, voiceover or exposition – to another social institution: the National Gallery in London. National Gallery gives the viewer insight into restorations, curations, funding meetings and unveilings in a journey to the heart of one of the great collections of paintings.
I Am a Girl
A quarter of the world’s population is both young and female. I Am a Girl looks at this cohort’s diverse range of experiences, exploring why they are more likely to be poor, sick and victims of violence. Girls in Australia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, the US and Cameroon explain how they persevere against stigma, and find humour and courage.
This is Roller Derby
With the tagline “If you can’t play nice, play roller derby!”, Daniel Hayward’s documentary follows the fastest-growing women’s sport in the world. Hayward traces roller derby’s revival from its origins in Austin, Texas, to the founding of the Ballarat Roller Derby League; he focuses on the lives of the skaters and the fans, and seeks to understand why the sport is capturing the imaginations of so many women.
