UNCA celebrates Women's History with feminist film festival

As a result of the "February Revolution" which toppled the Russian czar and the mass activism of female workers worldwide beginning in 1910, Mar. 8 has been celebrated globally as International Women's Day. Feminist activists began organizing demonstrations and protests in conjunction with International Women's Day in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They also drew attention to the lack of "Women's History" in schools, from elementary to graduate. At this time the first women's studies courses were developed, and some of the most talented scholar-activists did research, wrote and taught. Because of the efforts of these women, International Women's Day was approved by Congress, first as a week and then as Women's History Month. Sadly, after becoming "official," International Women's Day and Women's History Month are treated by many as time to honor female celebrities and CEOs, instead of a time for reflecting on women's shared past and the feminist activism that that brought us here today. Fortunately, the University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) will celebrate Women's History Month throughout March with a variety of special events. Among the highlights will be the seventh annual "F-Word Film Festival," featuring five feminist films. The AGR asked Lori Horvitz, one of the faculty organizers of the festival, a couple of questions. AGR: Why is the film festival referred to as "F-word" instead of feminist? Could labeling the festival this way be counterproductive? Horvitz: By using the "F-Word" in the title of the film festival, I'm trying to call attention to the baggage/negative connotations associated with the word "feminist." Some people (men and women), upon hearing the word, scowl, or dismiss it, or say, "What are those ugly, hairy lesbians complaining about now?" In reality, feminism is the doctrine advocating social and political rights of women equal to those of men. One writer, Sonja Curry-Johnson, challenges her female friends with these three questions: "Do you believe women should earn equal salaries for equal jobs? Do you believe women should defend other women if the need arises? Do you believe a woman has the right to choose if and when she wants to raise a family?" When Curry-Johnson's friends answer "Yes," she tells them, "You, too, are a feminist." AGR: What do you and other UNCA feminists hope to accomplish with this festival? Horvitz: At the festival, my goal is for the audience members to destigmatize the "F- word," to reclaim it, to embrace it. After the screening of the films, there will be panel discussions on both nights. The panel will be made up of UNCA students and faculty. In the past, I've found these discussions to be fertile ground for exchanging ideas between the panelists and audience members about the films, and to further understand the implications of what exactly feminism is, why it has such a bad rap and how we can embrace feminist ideals to bring equality not only to women, but to all oppressed groups. The "F-Word Film Festival: A Celebration of Images by and about Women (But for All Audiences)" will take place on Mar. 15 and 16 in UNCA's Humanities Lecture Hall. The films will begin at 7pm. The Mar. 15 films include: "The Beauty Academy of Kabul," which explores the relationship between Western hairstylists and the women they teach after opening a beauty school in post-Taliban Afghanistan and "I had an Abortion," which features 10 women who describe their abortion experience, with stories spanning seven decades. "I was a Teenage Feminist" which explores why some young, progressive women feel uncomfortable identifying with feminism, "Far from Home," which follows the life of an African American teenager in Boston and "Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night," which deals with the outsourcing of telephone support service jobs to India, will be shown Mar. 16. For more information about Women's History Month events, all of which are free and open to the public, call the UNC Asheville Women's Studies Program at 828-251-6419 or visit www.unca.edu/womensstudies.