Ep 69: International Women’s Day Industry Special with Modern Films, Raising Films & more

03/08/21 • 39 min

Hear from a host of women who have been working behind the scenes this past year to bring you amazing female-led films... and behold the launch of our 365 days of feminist film recommendations! First up, co-founder of Raising Films, Hope Dickson Leach, updates us on a recent study undertaken by the initiative. She reveals the negative impact that working from home has had on parent and carer filmmakers during lockdown, and suggests what can be done to improve working conditions in the future. Anna is then joined by three women from the thriving feminist production and distribution company Modern Films: Founder and Managing Director Eve Gabereau, Marketing and Distribution Manager Jacqueline Wang, and Digital Design and Social Media Manager Eva Zvendeniuk. They reflect on the ways Modern Films adapted to lockdown, thinking back to our first partnered Isolation Pod on The Perfect Candidate. They also share their favourite releases from the past year and kick off our feminist film recommendations endeavour with some fantastic suggestions! Stay tuned for cameos from some industry friends, including Rebecca del Tufo from Saffron Screen, Sonia Zadurian from the Barbican Centre, and Claire Vaughan from Cardiff’s Chapter Cinema. Finally, join us for a throwback to some past Girls On Film guests! Movie Mentions: Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint, Mr Jones, The Perfect Candidate, Misbehaviour, Wildfire, Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, Lady Bird, Nomadland, Petite Maman, The Portrait of a Lady On Fire, My Life as a Courgette. Become a patron of Girls on Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX...L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Audio Producer: Dan Pugsley. Principal Partner: Peter Brewer. Assistant Producer and Social Media Manager: Heather Dempsey. Assistant Producer: Elliana Jay.

Previous Episode

Ep 68: Punk doc Poly Styrene + lesbian romance Sweetheart from the Glasgow Film Festival

Our feminist picks of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival. Anna delves into personal punk rock doc Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché and witty coming-of-age Sweetheart with cast and crew. First, Celeste Bell reveals what it was like to make a film about her mother, the punk icon and X-Ray Spex frontwoman, Poly Styrene. Weaving archive footage with Celeste’s narration, the documentary unpicks Styrene’s eccentric and multi-layered life, and explores the effect fame had on life at home. Celeste shares the challenges of piecing together such a personal film and how the process changed her relationship with her late mother. Next, writer-director Marley Morrison and actor Ella-Rae Smith join Anna to discuss crushes and caravan parks in Sweetheart. Marley pinpoints where the film draws on personal experiences and explains the importance of creating an uplifting lesbian love story. From Friday night discos to the magic of no phone signal, Ella reminisces about the fun they had behind the scenes. Marley and Ella also discuss the build-up to the intimate scene, having lots of women on the crew and working with Jo Hartley. Keep listening for even more GFF21 watching recommendations. Other mentions: This Is England; Dead Man’s Shoes; Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging; Lady Bird; Séance; The Lost Girls. This episode is in partnership with Glasgow Film Festival and was part of the 2021 Industry Programme. You can watch Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché from 5 March here: www.modernfilms.com/polystyrene/watch Become a patron of Girls on Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX...L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Audio Producer: Tom Whalley. Principal Partner: Peter Brewer. Assistant Producer and Social Media Manager: Heather Dempsey. Assistant Producer: Elliana Jay.

Next Episode

Ep 70: EE Rising Star Award Nominees Bukky Bakray (Rocks) + Morfydd Clark (Saint Maud)

Anna talks to two British rising stars about their career prospects and what it feels like to be up for a BAFTA Film Award. CW: This episode includes discussion of sexual assault. First up, Saint Maud star Morfydd Clark tells Anna about working with writer-director Rose Glass on her horror hit. Expressing sympathy for her character Maud, she explains the importance of educating young women with ADHD and autism on consent. Morfydd also recalls her first film job on The Falling and celebrates the safe and artistic environment that writer-director Carol Morley created for girls on set. Keep listening for Morfydd’s funny story on standing up to male directors and her insight into reading scripts with dyslexia. Next, Anna is joined by Rocks lead Bukky Bakray. Plucked out of secondary school by director Sarah Gavron, Bukky explains the X-Factor like casting process for her first professional role. She recalls the joys of meeting open-minded women, works through her ideas of feminism, and pinpoints the importance of intersectionality. Did Rocks almost end up on YouTube? Is Viola Davis a real person? Bukky muses on these topics and more. Other TV and movie mentions: I May Destroy You, Mr Robot, Judas and the Black Messiah, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, You Don’t Know Me (coming soon). Bukky’s reading recommendations: Gloria Watkins aka bell hooks and Toni Morrison. For more on Saint Maud, find our interview with Rose Glass in Episode 60, and to delve further into Rocks, you can listen to Sarah Gavron in Episode 26. EE Rising Star Details: https://www.bafta.org/film/news/ee-rising-star-award-2021 https://ee.co.uk/why-ee/ee-baftas Become a patron of Girls on Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXvkgGofjDzj5mCFL89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Executive producer: Hedda Archbold. Audio Producer: Dan Pugsley. Principal Partner: Peter Brewer. Assistant Producer and Social Media Manager: Heather Dempsey. Assistant Producer: Elliana Jay.