Aiming to present UB students and the Buffalo community with a window into the many facets of film and femininity, UB's Institute for Research and Education on Women and Gender is holding its ninth Annual International Women's Film Festival at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre in downtown Buffalo.
"The series is selected by a hard-working committee of film-lovers and experts from the university and the community," said Barbara Bono, director of the Gender Institute.
According to Bono, over 25 UB departments have collaborated to decide which films will make the cut. Many of the movies have received honors and awards, and were chosen for their varied content.
"These films are sometimes light-hearted, sometimes stately, sometimes tragic, but always thought provoking," said Bono.
The series is slated to run from January 27 to March 3 with film showings every Thursday evening at 7 p.m. Each film in the series is produced and directed by women from all over the world.
Proper student identification will allow students $2 off the regular $8 admission price.
The films portray a variety of stories based on the universal ideas of love, justice, family, religion and other elements relevant to their individual work.
Thursday, Feb. 3, was "Night of Shorts" at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre. Viewers were treated to three short films, "a/k/a Mrs. George Gilbert," "It's not my memory of it: Three Recollected Documents," and "Devotion."
Cynthia Madansky, a self-proclaimed creator of art for about 20 years, directed the short film "Devotion."
Madansky spoke about her film and the experiences that provoked its creation.
"I was compelled while I was living in Turkey. The visuals spoke to me," she said. "I went to Turkey to make art."
"Devotion" is set in Istanbul, Turkey. The female narrator, living in a foreign land with strict religious regulations, explains the devotion she has for her female partner.
Throughout the film, the character comes to an understanding of secularism and the Islam religion; their differences, and the common ground that they share.
"It's not a documentary, it's art," said Madansky.
Another short film shown on Feb. 3, "a/k/a Mrs. George Gilbert," centers on the nationwide search for Angela Davis, and tells the story through the accounts of an FBI agent involved in the search.
The movie uses pictures of Davis, a woman associated with the Black Panthers and with the black power politics of the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the narrative voice of the agent who recounts how he spied on the wanted philosopher.
The final film showed on Thursday, "It's not my memory of it: Three Recollected Documents" was described as "a documentary about secrecy practices in the current climate of heightened security" by the Institute's program.
The film uses shredded document pieces in abstract visual ways, leaving the audience questioning what is occurring onscreen and pondering its message.
Viewers will be allotted a question and answer session with director, Pearl Gluck at the showing of his film "Divan" on Feb. 17.
Students can learn about the moviemakers involved in the festival by exploring the Gender Institute's Web site at www.womengender.buffalo.edu.
Also available on the site is a complete schedule of the festival's upcoming shows.
The films will take viewers all over the world, to countries like Hungary, Pakistan and Iran. Each piece tells the unique story of women and their struggles in a way that the directors hope that any person, of any gender, can find beneficial.
Some UB students said they appreciate the Gender Institute and the efforts of the other departments involved, in bringing the film series to Buffalo.
"SUNY Buffalo is one of the most diverse schools," said Iclal Cetin, a graduate student in comparative literature. "You can't find events of this caliber on other campuses. It's appreciation of artistic creation."
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
