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Festival coverage

Femspectives

20 February – 23 February 2020

Vai
Vai

The second edition of Scotland's premier film festival celebrating the work of female directors, with a small but meaty programme of features and shorts.

The festival was based around three themes - It’s Complicated (a deep-dive into the complex and nuanced experiences of the relationships womxn have with one another), Collective Memory: Trauma & Nation (stories that explore the power of memory) and Autonomy (films of different personal struggles, enquiring into what happens when the right to self-determination is reclaimed). It included work by filmmakers from Burkina Faso, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Kenya and Germany.

The festival runs from 20 to 23 February.

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Duck Daze
    Review preview for Duck Daze

    This is a community that, one suspects, director Alison Piper understands well.

    Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
    Johnina gets revenge on her childhood abuser and the community that enabled him, with the help of a duck.
  • My Big Beating Voice
    Review preview for My Big Beating Voice

    The great thing about it is the sense and maturity that they bring to difficult debates.

    Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
    Young women discuss race and gender inequality.
  • Glue
    Review preview for Glue

    Uses sharp observation and economy of dialogue to set a scene.

    Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
    A woman waits to meet her ex for the first time since their break-up.
  • Moments Of Resistance
    Review preview for Moments Of Resistance

    There is a level on which the educational aspect of this film becomes very direct, as, for instance, participants discuss the best ways to handle arrest and techniques for throwing interrogators off the scent.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    A documentary which reflects on the connections between historical resistance and the current political landscape. It amplifies the voices of politically engaged womxn and fosters hope for solidarity and inclusion.
  • Meet Me By The Water
    Review preview for Meet Me By The Water

    This is a sweet little film about the dangers of caring too much.

    Jane Fae · 4 out of 5
    In a small fishing town on the West Coast of Scotland a young Asian woman must decide whether to leave home and family for a new life in South America.
  • Overseas
    Review preview for Overseas

    In one remarkably intimate scene we watch a woman saying goodbye to a sleeping child so tiny that he won’t really understand what has happened when he wakes up and Mummy isn’t there.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    A documentary about a learning centre where women hoping to find domestic work abroad prepare themselves what for what lies ahead - including homesickness and potential abuse.
  • I Told My Mum I Was On An R.E. Trip
    Review preview for I Told My Mum I Was On An R.E. Trip

    The frankness of these stories means that many viewers will find something they can relate to.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    An exploration of issues around abortion, based on real-life interview recordings.
  • Little Miss Westie
    Review preview for Little Miss Westie

    This is very much fly-on-the-wall documentary, with explanations and expiation left up to those involved.

    Jane Fae · 3.5 out of 5
    Story of Ren, the first out transgirl to compete in the Little Miss Westie Pageant. Coaching her through the competition is her older brother Luca, who previously took part in the pageant when he lived as a girl.
  • In Search...
    Review preview for In Search...

    The very intimate, personal nature of this film imbues with authority and sensitivity.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Documentary about the lasting trauma of female genital mutilation and the filmmaker's reconstructive journey.
  • Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up
    Review preview for Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up

    Hubbard makes a strong case for a political view being appropriate.

    Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
    In 2016 Colten Boushie, a young Cree man, was killed in Saskatchewan. This documentary explores the case and shines a light on the vast inequality and systemic racism within the Canadian legal system.

A–Z of Femspectives 2020 reviews

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