January 30^th / 7pm / The Crossroads - Kansas Union (Level 4)

Big Dream: Young Women Entering STEM Fields

This film follows the intimate stories of seven young women who are breaking barriers and overcoming personal challenges to follow their passion in science, math, computing & engineering (STEM) fields. Each of these girls defy the stereotype of what it means to be an over-achieving woman in the fields of technology. From small town Iowa to the busy streets of the Middle East, 'Big Dream' immerses viewers in a world designed by the next generation of girls.

Co-sponsored by KU's WiSTEMM (Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) Mentoring Program and Jayhawks Breaking Barriers

Website: https://www.bigdreammovement.com/ 
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/116117189​ 
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/299727877190768/​

 

February 27^th / 7pm / The Crossroads - Kansas Union (Level 4)

Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed

Recalling a watershed event in US politics, this compelling documentary takes an in-depth look at the 1972 presidential campaign of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and the first to seek nomination for the highest office in the land. 

Following Chisholm from her own announcement of her candidacy through her historic speech in Miami at the Democratic National Convention, the story is a fight for inclusion. Shunned by the political establishment and the media, this longtime champion of marginalized Americans asked for support from people of color, women, gays, and young people newly empowered to vote at the age of 18. Chisholm's bid for an equal place on the presidential dais generated strong, even racist opposition. Yet her challenge to the status quo and her message about exercising the right to vote struck many as progressive and positive. Period footage and music, interviews with supporters, opponents, observers, and Chisholm's own commentary all illuminate her groundbreaking initiative, as well as political and social currents still very much alive today.

Website: http://www.pbs.org/pov/chisholm/ 
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJrH-9cgSd0 
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/368848066892019/​ 

 

March 27^th / 7pm / The Crossroads - Kansas Union (Level 4)

She's Beautiful When She's Angry

This documentary resurrects the buried history of the modern women’s movement (1966 to 1971). 'She's Beautiful When She’s Angry' takes us from the founding of NOW, with ladies in hats and gloves, to the emergence of more radical factions of women’s liberation; from intellectuals like Kate Millett to the street theatrics of W.I.T.C.H. (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell!). The film explores the movement’s successes as well as its limitations, including its perpetuation of racism, classism, and heterosexism. 

Website: http://www.shesbeautifulwhenshesangry.com/
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/90762657
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1354592581319162/

 

April 24^th / 7pm / The Crossroads - Kansas Union (Level 4)

Coming Out Under Fire

The U.S. military's persecution of gay and lesbian soldiers began during World War II. Labelled "homosexuals," "sex perverts," and "mentally ill," gay and lesbian soldiers were subject to harsh punishment and dishonorable discharge. In this documentary nine gay and lesbian veterans recount how they joined the patriotic war against fascism in the 1940s only to find themselves fighting two battles: one for their country and another for their right to serve. 

Trailer: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/comingoutunderfire​
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/314790332335118/

 

Below are the films that were shown during the Fall 2017 Semester:

September 5^th / 7pm / Malott Room - Kansas Union

Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines

This film presents an enlightening and entertaining response to the male-dominated superhero genre. It offers a nuanced critique of gender and heroism in America by analyzing the ways popular culture represents powerful women. In addition to revealing the ways that representations of superheroines reflect society's anxieties about strong women, Wonder Women! explores the ways girls and women struggle to achieve confidence, strength, and agency in a sexist culture.

Website: http://wonderwomendoc.com/
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/36060144
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/112096186044652/

October 3^rd / 7pm / Jayhawk Room - Kansas Union
Kate Bornstein is a Queer & Pleasant Danger

Kate Borstein — a self-described transgender-dyke, reluctant-polyamorist, sadomasochist, and recovering-Scientologist — is a trailblazing artist-theorist-activist and historic figure in the queer and trans community.  Author of the groundbreaking book, Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us (1994), Borstein paved the way for younger generations of gender non-conforming people. This film follows Borstein as she explodes binaries and deconstructs gender with her characteristic wit, style, and candor.

Website: http://katebornsteinthemovie.com/
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/84257153
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1710394022594692/

November 14^th / 7pm / Malott Room - Kansas Union
(Previously scheduled for November 7th)
The Empathy Gap: Masculinity and the Courage to Change

This film examines how American culture bombards young men with sexist and misogynistic messages. The Empathy Gap looks at the ways these messages short-circuit men's ability to empathize with women, respect them as equals, and take feminism seriously. The film shows how men who break with sexist and misogynistic norms live happier and healthier lives.

Website & Trailer: https://shop.mediaed.org/the-empathy-gap-p180.aspx
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/305728143202421/  

December 5^th / 7pm / Malott Room - Kansas Union
Dark Girls

Dark Girls explores the issue of colorism, which it defines as “prejudice or discrimination based on the relative lightness or darkness of the skin; generally a phenomenon within one’s own ethnic group.” By situating colorism within its larger context of white supremacy and colonialism, Dark Girls highlights personal stories to illuminate the traumatic effects of structural, interpersonal, and internalized racism and sexism on dark-skinned women in the United States and across the globe. At the same time, the film promotes individual and cultural healing by encouraging self-love and consciousness-raising around the pervasive psychological effects of prejudice, discrimination, racism, and sexism.

Website: http://officialdarkgirlsmovie.com/
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOjgTIN9pTE
Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1241719409280242/