Film Fatales: Independent Women Directors

by Judith M. Redding, Victoria A. Brownworth

Film Fatales offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives and work of women filmmakers. Profiled here are over thirty pioneering directors, producers, and distributors who have changed the face of contemporary film by delivering new and distinctly female images and sensibilities for the screen.

Genres: Film, Feminism, Nonfiction

252 pages, Paperback

First published November 3, 1997

Reviews

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am having a complicated reaction to this book. I was aware of many of these film makers. As I read their profiles, I recognized some of their films. Some I really enjoyed. I had remembered that cinema had made good inroads into queer representation. A lot of these women were POC and lesbian. Made me wonder what they had been up to since this book had been published in 1997.

That's when this whole thing takes a left turn. Most of them have not done much in the way of features since then. I am not sure what happened. I often feel that there was a time in the 90s where we were more open to other voices. Maybe it was just that we tired of these voices and others have risen to take their places.

I just don't know but I feel a bit deflated now.

This book does capture a time. I think it is well worth reading how the world was before the internet changed film. There is a cautious hope in these portraits.