Event

About Nina Menkes

Format:

Virtual

Genres:

In this program, “Sex and Power: The Visual Language of Oppression,” filmmaker Nina Menkes presents and analyzes a series of film clips by established, highly regarded film directors, including Martin Scorsese, Gordon Parks Jr., Orson Welles, Spike Lee, Sofia Coppola, and many other “A-list” directors from 1940 to the present day.

Building on the important work of feminist film theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Teresa de Lauretis, bell hooks, and Judith Butler, Menkes delves into the way the formal visual language of cinema (camera angles, blocking, shot design, lighting, camera movement and framing) infiltrates our consciousness and contributes to the epidemic of sexual assault, harassment (#Metoo), and employment discrimination (#TimesUP) that has plagued Hollywood as well as our culture at large.

Menkes has appeared with her presentation at many international film festivals including Sundance, Cannes, the AFI International Film Festival, and the BFI London International Film Festival. This talk is currently being made into a feature documentary entitled Brainwashed with support from the Disney family.