ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Kristy Guevara-Flanagan

Movie of the Week 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK February 3, 2023: BODY PARTS

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Penises are pornography; tits are art.” This pithy summary of the double standard when it comes to nudity in movies comes courtesy of delightfully frank trans actress Alexandra Billings about halfway through director Kristy Guevara-Flanagan’s engaging documentary Body Parts. Billings is one of a host of smart, thoughtful actors and filmmakers interviewed about the history of sexualizing female bodies on the screen — and the impact that’s had on the industry and the culture both on screen and off.

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Reviews 

BODY PARTS – Review by Leslie Combemale

awfj-admin , , , , , , ,

Body Parts is eye-opening and fascinating in showing not only where the film industry has been in terms of portraying sex onscreen, but where the industry can go when guided by advocates with integrity and genuine concern. Certainly many female film fans and feminists already know change is needed, now through this documentary, many more out there will be made aware of why it’s needed, and how that can happen.

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Festivals 

Les Femmes Underground Film Festival – Beth Accomando reports

Beth Accomando , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The festival’s mission is three pronged. First, equip, inform, influence, and mobilize women in underground media. Second, transform the landscape of cinema for womxn by creating opportunities and forums that accurately represent them. And third, create opportunities for young girls and young womxn via educational resources, wellness fairs and literacy efforts. The result is a film festival that provides a safe haven not just for women filmmakers but also for filmmakers who want to push the envelope in terms of style and form. It is not merely about independent filmmakers but also experimental ones. Les Femmes Underground International Film Festival VI is a short but jam-packed event that’s well worth seeking out.

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Festivals Reviews 

BODY PARTS (Tribeca 2022) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

Valerie Kalfrin , , , , , , ,

Early in the documentary Body Parts, Rosanna Arquette remembers auditioning in a bikini for a part in the 1991 comedy S.O.B. One day while shooting, director Blake Edwards told her to take her top off. Then nineteen, Arquette hedged, not realizing the role called for nudity. Afraid she’d lose her job, she relented. Such affecting interviews are but one facet of Body Parts, a film that discusses how some creatives are pushing back against exploiting the female body, especially in nude scenes and sex scenes.

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