Film Series
Women at Work: The Domestic Is Not Free
The domestic labor of women—as homemakers, caretakers, and familial partners—has been historically erased and undervalued. The third installment in our wide-ranging Women at Work program spotlights the often-invisible contributions of women at home and in the workforce and considers the myriad ways in which women across the world have challenged or subverted traditional associations between gender and domesticity. Exploring the intersections of labor, race, class, and social environment, these films reveal urgent, human stories of sacrifice and endurance that too often go unnoticed.
Curated by Natalie Erazo, Department Coordinator, Cinema
The hopes, dreams, and struggles of working black women are illuminated in this quietly revolutionary program, which features Ousmane Sembéne’s post-colonial landmark Black Girl.
The ghosts of Peru’s past continue to haunt the present in Claudia Llosa’s hypnotic, magical realist fable about a young indigenous woman reckoning with the traumas endured by her mother.
Todd Haynes’ suburban nightmare stars Julianne Moore as a California housewife whose picture-perfect life breaks down when she develops a mysterious allergy to seemingly all aspects of modern existence.
Director Marziyeh Meshkini and avant-grade trailblazer Chick Strand bring stirring poetry and a touch of surrealism to these portraits of women living in Iran, Greece, Mexico, and beyond.
Awash in gorgeous, mysterious images, Cláudia Varejão’s dreamy documentary spotlights the ancient Japanese tradition of the ama: “sea women” who dive for pearls and abalone without modern scuba gear.
One of master director Satyajit Ray’s finest works vividly portrays the ways in which class, capitalism, and tradition shape women’s lives via the story of a Kolkata housewife entering the workforce.
From classic Hollywood to the LA Rebellion (plus a special surprise presentation), this eclectic program explores the complex history of black women’s relationship to domestic work.
This brilliantly original Brazilian genre-bender is a deliciously dark, lushly stylized modern-day fairy tale of class, race, sexuality…and werewolves.
Wu Tsang’s colorfully imaginative documentary chronicles the life, death, and afterlife of the Silver Platter, a Los Angeles bar that for decades was a haven for Latinx queer and transgender communities.
The hidden histories of how courageous women shaped the labor movement.
A tribute to visionary women who have refused to be second-guessed or silenced.