Female Gaze — Is There A Female Narrative?

When most all films are made from the white male perspective, it not only reinforces that perspective, it also reinforces the invisibility of other perspectives. What does this systemic problem mean for the stories we tell and for the stories we are told? Join us for a conversation on the female narrative. Does it exist? If yes, what is it?

Date: Sunday, February 12, 12PM
Location: James Room, 418 Barnard Hall

Panelists include:

Kiara C Jones is a Writer, Director, Producer, and the proprietor of Cultivated Films LLC.  Her New York based production company is dedicated to producing films by underrepresented storytellers and providing a nurturing environment where filmmakers can explore their voices. The Directors Guild of America honored Kiara with the Grand Jury Award for her debut feature, Christmas Wedding Baby, which was licensed by Viacom and Netflix. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2015 for producing the feature, She’s Lost Control. Kiara was most recently selected for Sony Pictures Television Director’s Diversity Program where she is being groomed to direct episodic television by industry professionals. Her latest feature script, Broker, was selected for NYU’s coveted Purple List in 2016 and is now trending on the Hollywood Black List.

Christina Kallas is an award-winning filmmaker, book author and professor for film. Her film 42 Seconds of Happiness (2016), which is currently in the festival circuit, has won numerous awards including Best Feature Film at WTxFF, Best Ensemble Cast at Harlem Int’l Film Festival, Indie Spirit Award and Best Ensemble Cast at Princeton Independent Film Festival, and Best American Film at the Jaipur International Film Festival. It was also in official selection at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and at the St. Louis Int’l Film Festival, where she was nominated for the Emerging Director Award 2016. Prior to relocating to NYC, she worked for over 15 years as a screenwriter and producer in Europe. From 2005 to 2013 she was President of the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE.) She was honored for her outstanding contribution to the international writers’ community. Kallas is a Visiting Associate Professor at Barnard’s Film Program. She is the author of six books, including Creative Screenwriting: Understanding Emotional Structure and Inside the Writers’ Room (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2010 & 2014.) She is currently editing her sophomore feature as a director,The Rainbow Experiment.

Sekiya Dorsett is a queer filmmaker giving voice to issues of equality. In 2008, her first film, Wisdom and Understanding, a short experimental film, made its debut at NewFest Film Festival and the Oakland Black LGBT Festival. In 2009 her short Sisters, a story about a lesbian woman struggling to reconcile with her mother, was screened at the Austin LGBT Film Festival.Through online media, her project, The Rainbow Collective, merged race, gender, religion, and pop culture. By day she is a Writer/Producer/Editor, where she has created work for LOGO TV and NBC Universal. To see more of Dorsett’s work, check out visit sekiyadorsett.com

In Partnership with the Barnard Film Program