Welcome to another Feminist Friday! That time of the week where we gather around our virtual campfires to fangirl over our fave videos of the moment, centered around an intersectional feminist theme.
This week we’re gearing up for the holidays and getting into the festive spirit with a film, a web series and a documentary all created by and/or starring predominantly female subjects and characters. The first video giving us the holiday spirit this week is the trailer for rom-com ‘Season of Love’ starring an all-female ensemble cast, including ‘Wynonna Earp’s’ Dominique Provost-Chalkley.
Taking over the holiday TV space, Lifetime just announced the release of 28 films this Holiday Season while its competitor, Hallmark, is delivering 24 new original movie premieres this season. And if both networks have made an effort to move toward diversity and inclusion by featuring women of color in leading roles, the networks still have ways to go when it comes to other ethnicities and marginalized people – still an industry-wide issue.
One area that is underserved across all networks is the lack of LGBTQ representation in its Christmas movies. While some movies hint at queer stories, explicit LGBTQ+ stories remain rare. Decrying the lack of LGBTQ+ characters and more specifically LGBTQ+ female leads in holiday movies, Tello Films and DASH Productions are proud and excited to be breaking grounds and releasing the first ever Holiday romantic comedy for LGBTQ+ women, Season of Love this December.
“We talk a lot today about diversity on screen but it’s also important to talk about diversity behind the camera. ‘Season of Love’ has a queer female writer, director and producers that shape the voice of the film and it rings so true to a queer woman’s experience because we have queer women all over this cast and crew. It’s a delight to be part of that,” says cast member Emily Goss.
Fellow cast member Jessica Clark describes it as ‘Love Actually’ for the lesbian/queer community. We love that! The film has a few theatrical screenings in Los Angeles on November 21, Nashville November 26, New York December 2, and Seattle December 9. Starting December 1 the film will be available for on-demand pre-sale. Head to the ‘Season of Love’ website for more details.
The second video this week is the trailer to a new web series called ‘All Hail Beth’, from writer/director Misha Calvert. Just launched on Brooklyn’s BRIC TV, it features an Iranian-American actress as the protagonist, and a fourth-wave feminist approach to contemporary life in New York City as an ancient Babylonian Goddess.
After a lifetime spent on the sidelines, ignored by everyone from her boss to her self-obsessed friends, Beth gives up. The next day, however, she is inexplicably transformed into the Babylonian Goddess Ishtar— and all of New York is suddenly aware of her celebrity status. Former friends fawn at her feet, bullies beg for forgiveness, strangers offer her everything from the flowers in their hands to their total adoration— including what becomes a polyamorous overture from the show’s male leads. Over the course of the series, Beth must learn how to manage her power, reclaim her confidence, and find happiness, with a few helpful tips from a fellow Babylonian Goddess.
The final video this week is a trailer to a documentary from filmmaker Maxine Trump (no relation to the other Trump…). ‘To Kid Or Not To Kid‘ which dives into a topic that is often taboo in society, but is more common than we think.
Filmmaker Maxine Trump turns the camera on herself and her close circle of family and friends as she confronts the idea of not having kids. While exploring the cultural pressures and harsh criticism childfree women regularly experience, as well as the personal impact this decision may have on her own relationship, Maxine meets other women reckoning with their choice: Megan, who struggles to get medical permission to undergo elective sterilization, and Victoria, who lives with the backlash of publicly acknowledging that she made a mistake when she had a child. ‘To Kid Or not To Kid’ bravely plunges into an aspect of reproductive choice often misunderstood, mischaracterized, or considered too taboo to discuss. With rising public awareness about climate change, resource scarcity and global population, this timely film asks the question “Why can’t we talk about not having children?”
‘To Kid or Not To Kid’ will be available on VOD starting December 16th. These are the kinds of projects we want to see more of on all types of networks, platforms and streaming spaces! Here’s to more women taking up space and telling our stories. Here’s to the holiday season and more reasons to champion female-driven content!
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