Black Feminist

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Black Feminist

A film by Zanah Thirus

US | 2019 | 53 minutes | Color | DVD | English | Order No. W201260 |

BLACK FEMINIST explores the double-edged sword of racial and gender oppression that Black Women face in America.

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SYNOPSIS

BLACK FEMINIST is a lively and illuminating documentary that explores the double-edged sword of racial and gender oppression that Black Women face in America.

Frustrated by the lack of intersectionality in the women’s movement and the misogyny plaguing the Black liberation movement, filmmaker Zanah Thirus set out to shine a light on the complexities and power of Black feminism. Featuring interviews with a wide range of scholars, writers, business owners, veterans and comedians including former Ebony Editor-in-Chief Kyra Kyles, professor Carrie Morris, and author Tami Winfrey Harris, the film lays bare the everyday lived experiences of Black Women everywhere.

PRESS

"Uncovers the importance of intersectionality when it comes to opposing racial and gender oppression."

Video Librarian

"The candid and conversational form shows that feminism is not “just an academic experience but a life experience.”"

Films for the Feminist Classroom

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

Honorable Mention, Black Truth Film Festival
Jury Award for Best Documentary, The International Black & Diversity Film Festival

BronzeLens Film Festival
Chicago South Side Film Festival

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Zanah Thirus

Zanah Thirus is an actress, producer, writer, and director from Chicago. She received her master’s degree in cinema production from DePaul University at the age of twenty-two and began her career in independent filmmaking and content production in 2015.

In 2016, Zanah won Best Female Director for her short film Hourglass at the Cineplay Film Awards. Her festival credits as a filmmaker include Official Selection - Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival (2016), Best Student Documentary - London Independent Film Awards (2017), Semi Finalist at The German United Film Festival (2018), and Finalist at Cinema Los Angeles Film Festival (2018).

Since launching her brand, Zanah Thirus Productions LLC, Zanah has shifted her focus to merging arts and activism through documentary and narrative storytelling. Her films explore subjects such as gender, race, politics, and mental health. In 2019, her feature documentary Black Feminist was an official selection at the Bronze Lens Festival of Atlanta. That same year, her short film Demons was also nominated for Best Short Film at the Content Creators of Atlanta Awards. Shortly afterwards, Zanah was named one of Diversity in Cannes Top 10 Filmmakers of the Decade. (09/20)

A film by Zanah Thirus

Cinematography & Editing by Chan C Smith

Associate Creative Production by Maiya Sinclair

Illustration by Imani Jc

Transcriptions by Tamara Young

Typography by Alyssa Kane

Starring Nadirah Lugg as Latoya Johnson

Subject Areas

African American Feminism Gender Racism Mass Media & Popular Culture Women's Movement

Unlearning Sex

38 minute educational version included on the DVD. For the DSL version, please email [email protected]. Told through a deeply personal lens, this film explores sexual assault and trauma – and how these experiences intersect with race, class, and sexual orientation – with complexity and sensitivity.

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Black Girl in Suburbia

For many Black girls raised in the suburbs, the experiences of going to school, playing on the playground, and living day-to-day life can be uniquely alienating. BLACK GIRL IN SUBURBIA looks at the suburbs of America from the perspective of women of color. Filmmaker Melissa Lowery shares her own childhood memories of navigating racial expectations both subtle and overt-including questions like, "Hey, I just saw a Black guy walking down the street; is that your cousin?" Through conversations with her own daughters, with teachers and scholars who are experts in the personal impacts of growing up a person of color in a predominately white place, this film explores the conflicts that many Black girls in homogeneous hometowns have in relating to both white and Black communities. BLACK GIRL IN SUBURBIA is a great discussion starter for Freshman orientation week and can be used in a wide variety of educational settings including classes in sociology, race relations, African American Studies, Women's Studies, and American Studies.

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Coded Bias

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The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde

This powerful documentary is a moving tribute to legendary black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde, One of the most celebrated icons of feminism's second wave.

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Standing on My Sisters' Shoulders

In 1965, when three women walked into the US House of Representatives in Washington D.C., they had come a very long way. Neither lawyers nor politicians, they were ordinary women from Mississippi,and descendants of African slaves. They had come to their country’s capital seeking civil rights, the first black women to be allowed in the senate chambers in nearly 100 years. A missing chapter in our nation’s record of the Civil Rights movement, this powerful documentary reveals the movement in Mississippi in the 1950’s and 60’s from the point of view of the courageous women who lived it – and emerged as its grassroots leaders. Their living testimony offers a window into a unique moment when the founders’ promise of freedom and justice passed from rhetoric to reality for all Americans. Through moving interviews and powerful archival footage, STANDING ON MY SISTERS' SHOULDERS weaves a story of commitment, passion and perseverance and tells the story of the women fought for change in Mississippi and altered the course of American history forever.

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Say My Name

In a hip hop and R&B world dominated by men and noted for misogyny, the unstoppable female lyricists of SAY MY NAME speak candidly about class, race, and gender in pursuing their passions as female MCs. This worldwide documentary takes viewers on a vibrant tour of urban culture and musical movement, from hip hop’s birthplace in the Bronx, to grime on London’s Eastside, to Philly, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, and L.A., and points in between. Featuring interviews and musical performances from a diverse cast of women that includes Remy Ma, Rah Digga, Jean Grae, Erykah Badu, Estelle, as well as newcomers Chocolate Thai, Invincible and Miz Korona, this powerful documentary delves into the amazing personal stories of women balancing professional dreams with the stark realities of poor urban communities, race, sexism, and motherhood. The more than 18 artists featured in SAY MY NAME battle for a place in a society that creates few chances for women. From emerging artists filled with new creativity, to true pioneers like MC Lyte, Roxxanne Shante, and Monie Love, these are women turning adversity into art.

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The Cancer Journals Revisited

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The Revival: Women and the Word

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And Still I Rise

Inspired by a poem by Maya Angelou, this powerful film explores images of Black women in the media, focusing on the myths surrounding Black women's sexuality. Like COLOR ADJUSTMENT, in which Marlon Riggs looked at images of Black people on television, AND STILL I RISE uses images from popular culture to reveal the way the media misrepresents Black women's sexuality. A combination of fear and fascination produces a stereotypical representation which in turn impacts on the real lives of Black women. AND STILL I RISE intercuts historical and media images with hard-hitting contemporary views of women of African heritage as they struggle to create a new and empowered perspective. Both a celebration and a critique, AND STILL I RISE is essential viewing for those interested in African American studies, women's studies, media studies and popular culture. From the director of THE BODY BEAUTIFUL and COFFEE COLORED CHILDREN.

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OUR CATALOG

Black Feminist

SYNOPSIS

PRESS

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Subject Areas

RELATED LINKS

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Unlearning Sex

Black Girl in Suburbia

Coded Bias

Chisholm '72 - Unbought and Unbossed

Living Thinkers: An Autobiography of Black Women in the Ivory Tower

The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde

Standing on My Sisters' Shoulders

Say My Name

The Cancer Journals Revisited

The Revival: Women and the Word

And Still I Rise

Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth