Last Saturday, I attended the inaugural Fatal Femme Film Festival in Brooklyn, NY. The festival was initially conceived by Haley Goetz, who graduated from the film program at Ithaca College and recently moved to the area. I found out about this event by browsing Facebook, and I’m glad I did, because it was great to experience a concerted effort to highlight women filmmakers in a D.I.Y. space. This kind of grassroots work is necessary as women try to make more of a space in this male-dominated industry, and I am thankful for the film festival’s existence. It was also refreshing to see women, P.O.C., subcultures, and queerness represented in these various films.
Some shorts caught my eye that evening, and I will list them below:
You’re Fit (dir. Lydia Reid) is a satirical animation that explores gym culture and narcissism.
The things I love, for me (dir. Siara-Lauren Brown) explores a queer, brown couple that goes through being a L.D.R. through the lens of one of the partners.
The Gods of Tiny Things (dir. Deborah Kelly) is an animation, featuring paper-based collages of “deity-creatures,” created in a masterclass hosted by the Bundanon Trust.
Doll It Up (dir. Yalan Hu) is a short film about a man’s relationship with sex dolls. “Feeling his marriage with Natalie – a sex doll he has been with for 3 years – has grown stale, Gunther decides to purchases a new doll, Dorri, that he adores and esteems as “true love.” However, true love never lasts. When he finds out his new wife isn’t as innocent as she looks, Gunther is faced with the fact that he has lost both of his wives.”
Brewsters (dir. Christina Bartson) is “a film about gender equality and beer” in Michigan.
Tree Girl (dir. Marissa Goldman) stars Marissa Goldman, who depicts a girl that is dressed like a tree and tries to find her way home.