Mini – rant …. I was really frustrated by the way I kept searching for films about “girls” and kept coming up with films about women. As if they were interchangeable. I tackled this life-long conundrum in college. Why are women called girls? But young men are not called boys – they are usually guys. In fact it feels like woman is a bad word. So many people use lady or girl but there are not many other alternatives. I think when you say “woman” people read “feminist”. Perhaps I should research how the two are used. When you are serious you are a woman, when you are social/casual/etc. you are a girl. I don’t know. I’m not a sociologist.
So, I’m just going to start at my beginning – films about girls of color. As I’ve searched several on-line “lists” of films, I find very few narrative films that include girls of color (17 and under) as the main or even secondary protagonists. I know there aren’t a lot out there. But I’m going to make my own list (in no particular order). 1. Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) dir. Benh Zeitlin Beasts of the Southern Wild trailer 2. Bend it like Beckham (2002) dir. Gurinder Chadha Bend it Like Beckham trailer 3. Whale Rider (2002) dir. Niko Caro Whale Rider trailer 4. Love and Basketball (2000) dir. Gina Prince-Bythewood Love and Basketball trailer 5. Crooklyn (1994) dir. Spike Lee Crooklyn trailer 6. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) dir. Phillip Noyce Rabbit-Proof Fence trailer 7. Quinceanera (2006) dir. Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland Quinceanera trailer 8. Precious (2009) dir. Lee Daniels Precious trailer 9. Pariah (2011) dir. Dee Rees Pariah trailer 10. Maya (2001) dir. Digvijay Singh Maya trailer 11. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) dir. Ken Kwapis Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants trailer 12. Real Women Have Curves (2002) dir. Patricia Cardoso Real Women Have Curves trailer 13. Our Song (2000) dir. Jim McKay Our Song trailer 14. Fame (1980) dir. Alan Parker Fame trailer 15. Flirting (1991) dir. John Duigan Flirting Trailer 16. Akeelah and the Bee (2006) dir. Doug Atchinson Akeelah and the Bee trailer 17. Eve’s Bayou (1997) dir. Kasi Lemmon Eve's Bayou trailer 18. The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love (1995) dir. Maria Maggenti Two Girls in Love trailer 19. Mosquita Y Mari (2012) dir. Aurora Guerrero Mosquita y Mari trailer 20. Mi Vida Loca (1993) dir. Allison Anders Mi Vida Loca trailer 21. Daughters of the Dust (1991) dir. Julie Dash Daughters of the Dust trailer 22. Maria Full of Grace (2004) dir. Joshua Marston Maria Full of Grace trailer 23. Just Another Girl on the IRT (1992) dir. Leslie Harris Just Another Girl on the IRT trailer 24. The Man on the Shore (1993) dir. Raoul Peck (Sorry, I could not find a trailer...) 25. Water (2005) dir. Deepa Mehta Water trailer 26. Wadjda (2013) dir. Haifaa al-Mansour Wadjda trailer 27. Yelling to the Sky (2011) dir. Victoria Mahoney Yelling to the Sky trailer What do I want to do with this list? I hope to add to it, surely I’ve missed some movies, surely there is more … I’d like to see what is really available for girls of color to watch. And for boys of color. Most of the films on this list have very adult themes and language. What can little girls watch? Where can they see themselves as the protagonist, as the hero? I’d like to see if any of this is even relevant anymore because so many young people get their media from the internet now –youtube or Netflix or Hulu. If five minute videos or 6 second vines are our future, does it mass media representation matte anymore?
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AuthorI'm a teacher of video production but a student of film. And now that I'm a parent, I'm a careful critic of all things media. It's a weird position to be in but I view most things through many lenses. Professor and parent, filmmaker and movie fan. ArchivesCategories |