Avant-Garde Film Festival pays tribute to women filmmakers and feminist thinking
A love for film is what brings together four women – an Austrian visual artist, a German writer, a French journalist and an American film theorist – and a male Israeli peacemaker. All of them have worked in film and used the medium in innovative ways. Valie Export, Helke Sander, Germaine Dulac, Laura Mulvey and Udi Aloni are the five aforementioned artists who are honored in the 5th Avant-Garde Film Festival. The event is a joint project of the Greek Film Archive, the Athens School of Fine Arts (which will host a Valie Export exhibition), the Goethe Institute and the Athens Cultural Organization. Films will be screened at the Trianon cinema while lectures and a round-table discussion will also take place. Against the backdrop of the 40th anniversary of May 68 events, a festival focusing on the contribution of women artists in film and the impact of the 60s feminist movement on film theory becomes most relevant. The event, which begins today and ends May 22, appears to be the perfect «gender study» subject, but it is not addressed to a specific public. The festival is a perfect opportunity for bringing together works of women artists who broke convention and inspired younger artists. The highly promising festival is being held with the support of the Thessaloniki Film Festival and the General Secretariat for Youth.
