Embodied Revolution

2007-08-06T18:19:00.000-04:00

trailer is up on youtube!

I just realized my .mac account ended a while ago so the trailer stopped working. I put it up on youtube so hopefully everyone can access it again!

2007-07-25T18:23:00.001-04:00

D.C. screening!
Saturday Aug 4th

The film will be shown followed by performances by bands hope and anchor and ninetynine!! More info....

Saturday August 4th
"Embodied Revolution" short discussion to follow with filmmaker and featured activists
hope and anchor and ninetynine
6pm at the Bobby Fisher Memorial Building
1644 North Capital Street NW downtown D.C
all ages $6-10 sliding scale

2007-03-29T15:51:00.001-04:00

Thank you to everyone who came out to showings of the film and also to everyone who has attempted to get in touch with me about how to purchase copies or hold screenings of your own.

At this point I am not at a place--financially or otherwise (I am graduating in May and this is my first priority right now!)--to create copies of the film for sale. Please know I will do whatever I can to figure out a way to make copies and have them available but this cannot come until after May. Judging from the responses to the film so far it really feels like people want to talk about these issues. I never ever expected it to get as large as it has or to be this significant. So thank you to everyone who has given me kind words and made me feel like this documentary is really needed--even if I am just an undergrad who did the whole thing on a rather useless budget and severely limited amount of time when it comes to filming a documentary. It means a lot to know that working about four times harder than I normally do was definitely worth it--not just for me but for other people as well.

The trailer link is still up but I'm planning to take down the other two linked pieces of media just because those were part of the first cut and have been changed. If you are interested in showing the film and would like for me to come to your university or community please let me know! If I can get travel funding I will go just about anywhere if it works with my schedule.

A few other things I have been thinking about that are not logistical:
Doing this project has been interesting for me on many levels. I feel like putting the work together I went through a kind of personal transformation. For months after the filming I sat alone in a little cubicle editing and listening and watching and rearranging. To present the film finally was like telling the world this secret I had been holding on to for like 9 months. I have created a zine that talks some about my influences but I have not really mentioned them on the website.
The film is dedicated to Gloria Anzaldúa whose work has probably been the most significant influence for me in my life. The book This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color basically shaped my activism when I was a junior in high school. I am greatly dedicated to making sure her work is valued on the level it should be and the work of so many others who were a part of that particular anthology and those that followed. I know the shape of the film, content, and intent, have all been greatly influenced by all that work.
For my undergrad degree I have created my own major looking at how we can mix sociology/anthropology, women's studies, and social work with more creative mediums like film, photography, and creative nonfiction. I really believe that presenting larger social issues in a creative light makes it more accessible. For this reason I feel pretty strongly about not falling into an art form or writing that is completely inaccessible or academic. While many issues talked about in the film may go over the heads of people who are less familiar, I hope that I set it up in a way that it will prompt people to seek out sources and ask more questions in their own lives vs. being completely overwhelmed. This is primarily why I decided to make the zine to hand out at showings of the film--it has about 4 pages worth of resources in it, a gender glossary, and more.

For now I'm getting things in order for a presentations at the following places:
-Wesleyan University on April 28th
-possible screening but most likely a short presentation of clips and talking about the project at the National Women's Studies Association Conference June 28th-July 1st (http://www.nwsaconference.org/)
-somewhere in D.C. on August 2nd with a performance by hope and anchor who composed the music for the film
-Warren Wilson College sometime in April
-it will also be shown (without me there unfortunately) at the genderPAC conference May 17th-19th in D.C.

Any support right now financially or otherwise is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thank you for anyone who has already donated to the project, it means a lot to me.
If you would like a copy please send me an email and I'll put you on a list and let you know as soon as it becomes available. I will post new information about screenings when I figure out exact times/places/dates/etc but until then keep fighting the good fight!

In solidarity,
Erin

2007-02-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

I created the *actual* trailer for the film last night and put it up this morning. It can be accessed here,

TRAILER!

hope and anchor got the music to me yesterday and it's everything and more than I imagined! I'm really excited to lay down the sound and get the film ready to show for the opening. I know music is going to make a HUGE difference.

If you have trouble with the trailer, just let it sit for like 5 minutes, it should come up after that, unless your internet connection is really slow. I made the file larger than the rough cut of the opening because you couldn't read the words if I didn't make the quality higher.
I hope everyone is well! I'm looking forward to the Translating Identities Conference next weekend!

2007-02-15T12:07:00.000-05:00

You are invited to the premiere screening of "Embodied Revolution: A National Look at Gender Based and Body Conscious Activism," Friday, March 2nd!
The documentary highlights twenty different activists across the United States engaged in direct action, community organizing, performance art, and everyday revolution. Each tackle a variety of issues from gender stereotyping and discrimination to body image, fat identity, queer femme visibility, transgender rights, representations and objectifications of women in the media, safer communities, and more. An open panel discussion will follow with the filmmaker and friends featured in the documentary.
Local Asheville groups featured in the film include: Tranzmission and the Ashevegas Outlaws.
The soundtrack has also been composed by local band, hope and anchor (http://www.myspace.com/hopeandanchor).

Food and mingling at 6:30 in the Upper Fellowship Hall at Warren Wilson College, movie will start by 7pm--it's 90 minutes, the panel discussion will follow. Things should end between 9 and 9:30

$2-5 suggested donation (all money goes towards traveling with the film and distribution / no one turned away for lack of funds)

2007-01-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

Lots of news!

I watched the second rough cut of the film with Hope & Anchor a few weekends ago. They are working to compose a fabulous soundtrack as we speak.
The big opening of the film and reception will be March 2nd in the Upper Fellowship Hall at Warren Wilson College, most likely around 6:30 pm. This will be a community wide event and open to all of Asheville and beyond! There will be a panel discussion afterwards, it should be pretty great.

I've also been asked to present the film at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. They are having a Queer Conference towards the end of March that I will be participating in. It should be pretty great, the key note speaker this year is Kate Bornstein!
The set up of the presentation will be similar to the one I'll be doing at TIC, possibly viewing a trailer along with a few clips from the film and then having a panel discussion and dialogue. I'm also seeing about getting into the film festival that goes along with the conference. If this happens the documentary will be shown at the Fine Arts Theatre, which would be a huge honor but I'm not getting my hopes up yet.

I also just heard today that they want me to do a session at the National Women Studies Association Conference this summer. This is HUGE, I applied but didn't really think anything would happen with that. The conference is June 28th-July 1st in St. Charles Illinois. They are actually willing to help out with some travel costs too which is really great. If anyone in the film reading this thinks they might be able to come to that and would like to sit on a panel with me that would be really awesome.

The film is definitely going to travel! I'm really glad there is so much interest, it's going to be great to start having conversations with folks about the activism and work being done.
Thanks to everyone!
I also want to note that once I get a trailer together I will post it online so people can view it. That probably won't be for about a month, however.

Sending my best,
Erin

2006-12-28T08:36:00.001-05:00

I've been asked to present the documentary at the Translating Identities Conference at the University of Vermont!
I'm pretty sure I'll be doing it, I just have to figure out if I can get some support to fly out there.
It's over the weekend of February 24th. If anyone reading this lives around there you should try to make it out! The conference is free you just have to register before hand.
I feel really honored to be asked and excited that I'll finally get to go. Ever since I first heard about it I've been trying to find a way to fly out there.
For more info about the conference check out their website here, TIC 2007

2006-12-10T17:09:00.000-05:00

Streaming video!

Here's a link to the first cut of the opening to the film! There's no music or anything yet but you should get the picture.
Yay!

click me!

2006-12-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

Things are coming along.
I'll be working through the end of next week and then taking a break for a while. The first rough cut should be finished by then. I'll get back into the lab mid-January to put in the music, names and titles, and any random b-roll that I did not have until then.
I came up with a tentative title a few days ago and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

Embodied Revolution: A National Look at Gender Based and Body Conscious Activism

Thank you to all who have been helping me out with getting photos and other such things for b-roll!
More updates after next week when the first cut should be together.
Also--thanks to some tech savvy people at UNCA and the wonders of Final Cut Pro, my sound problems are pretty much gone. Ah the joys of technology. It's barely noticeable anymore.

2006-11-27T14:58:00.000-05:00

I've got roughly one more month to finish the bulk of the work on the project. A few days ago, this would have terrified me. I'm feeling a little better about it now. Unfortunately, a few of the interviews have sound problems, but I'm planning to do everything I can do to fix it. If anyone has advice about this, that would be awesome.
Attempting to be your own sound/film person is really problematic at times I'm realizing now. Live and learn I guess.

I'm working on filming extra b-roll this week. I have to figure out copyright laws and such for certain things. (For example: is it illegal to film and use images from magazines, like advertisements and such, if you give credit at the end? Does it make a difference that I don't plan to make any $ off this project?)

I've re-worked the intro to the film a little bit. Once I get it together I'm going to try and put it into a quicktime file or something so I can put it up on the site. The wonders of the internet, I bet I can even put it on youtube now!
That's pretty much the news. I hope everyone had a good short holiday.

Oh yeah--one more thing, I added links to the "tranzmission" website and a little bio about them in the entry below under "Asheville, NC"

2006-11-11T20:23:00.000-05:00

A rough storyboard has been compiled! I'm anticipating the film to be around an hour and a half. I transformed my basement by putting up all the paper cut outs from interviews and notes. It's pretty exciting to see the walls covered with such things. I feel like the non-fun part of transcribing and organizing is over and now I get to throw myself into the lab for hours and hours to get creative. The project is evolving even more and I feel like I just re-learned/experienced everything that happened this summer and early fall over again, which is pretty great and inspiring.
I love seeing the breadth of work together. I definitely saw the connections between everyone I interviewed during the filming process but really demonstrating that through the storyboard outline has been kind of amazing. It's really cool to see what I think is an evolved consciousness surrounding all this different work. People are approaching a similar issue on all different fronts with a like minded goal and complete understanding of how all oppressions connect. The movement, whatever movement it is that may be happening, has really grown up to the point where the understanding and acknowledgement of overlapping identities is talked about and considered a major part of the work. For this film I obviously focused on people dealing with issues of gender but I feel that it affects everyone and plays a part in all social justice movements that are happening. I just hope I can give the people and their words the justice they deserve.

Also to note: I'm thinking that once I get all the clips onto my external hard drive I'm going to attempt to figure out podcasts and see if I can't just put a few up. That probably won't happen for a few weeks but I'll try!
I'm taking a break this weekend from all the work and have gone home to the Chapel Hill area, back to all my favorite places and to see family. My sister will be having her first baby this winter! We had a shower for her today. What a world for this new addition of our family to enter. I'm so glad there are people working so hard to make it better for everyone. Babies and courageous, outspoken activists always give me hope! :)

2006-10-10T16:32:00.000-04:00

Interviewees & their amazing projects and organizations

San Francisco, CA

Amanda Piasecki (bio page)
Fiercely fabulous sound artist, technology guerrilla, sculptural baker, trumpet player, writer, and queer body autonomist. Read the bio page for more information on her work and art.

Julia Serano (bio page)
Kick ass Oakland based trans woman activist, writer, musician, and spoken word artist. Check out the bio page for lots more about her and all the cool things she's up to.

San Francisco Trans March!
The Trans March began in 2004 and has been going strong since. If you want to be a part of this yearly event check out the website or go to the march in June. It's always on the Friday during Pride Weekend.
Sam Davis, organizer

Spectrum, Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender Concerns
Spectrum's mission is to strengthen, mobilize, and serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people, and promote acceptance, understanding, and full inclusion in Marin County and the North Bay.
Darcy

New York City, NY

Right Rides (about us page)
The RightRides program offers women, transpeople and gender queer individuals a free, late-night ride home to insure their safe commute to or through high-risk areas. Along with this service they offer walking escorts for any one who doesn't want to walk alone.
The mission of RightRides For Women’s Safety, Inc. is to reduce the risk of harassment and sexual assault by community organizing, offering direct service programs, plus fostering greater safety awareness and individual empowerment in our related educational programs.
Oraia, co-founder

Size Queen Zine
A zine for queen size queers and our loyal subjects
Size Queen is actually based out of the West Coast I believe but I met up with one of the creators, Max in NYC at The Fat Girl Flea Market

Boston, MA

Gender Talk: Web Radio and Transgender Resources
GenderTalk is the leading worldwide weekly radio program that talks about transgenderism in the first person. Each week we present news, information, and exciting new voices that challenge our traditional view of gender -- and more.
Nancy Nangeroni and Gordene O. MacKenzie

Gender Crash (about page)
Spoken word and performance event held 2nd Thursday every month Spontaneous Celebrations 45 Danforth St, Jamaica Plain. For poets/spoken wordsters/literary geeks/journal writers/queers/transgender/gender queers
Gunner Scott

Washington, DC

Gender Public Advocacy Coalition
The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) works to ensure that children can reach their potential without barriers imposed by stereotypes, every person has an equal chance to pursue their career and succeed in the workplace without discrimination, and schools and communities are safe places to learn, grow, and succeed.
GenderPAC also promotes the understanding of the connection between discrimination based on gender stereotypes and sex, sexual orientation, age, race, and class.
Brittney Hoffman & Tyrone Hanley, Youth Program Coordinators
Erica Kagan, Campus Organizer (NYC based)

Different Avenues
Different Avenues is a tax-exempt, non-profit agency located in northwestern Washington, DC. We provide services to youth and young adults, ages 12 to 30 years, who are homeless or living in insecure housing. Many of our clients are transgendered, gay, lesbian or bisexual. We also help youth who themselves are parents, as well as parents of youth. We work with people who engage in street survival strategies, including sex for favors.
Darby Hickey, Program Coordinator

Asheville, NC

Hope & Anchor
Sweet music by 3 fabulous people

Tranzmission
A group of folks, trans, queer, and otherwise, who meet weekly to address issues they find relevant to their lives. They are dedicated to ending socially-enforced non-consensual gender tyranny.
Zeek

The ever so amazing, Ashevegas Outlaws!
The Ashevegas Outlaws is Asheville's very own drag troupe of wonders. Their shows are not to be missed!

Cuntry Kings
The Cuntry Kings fashion feminist anti-racist drag performance from the raw material of pop culture, Southern queer experience, and national disgrace. The fifteen-member troupe is based in Durham, North Carolina , but has been spotted strutting on stages across the US and Western Europe. Blending an intersectional analysis of oppression with campy Broadway choreography, their cuntry cookin' is sure to satisfy.
I'm sure you noticed, The Cuntry Kings are actually out of Durham, NC but one of the kings, Amy, who I interviewed used to be apart of this group but now lives in Asheville, NC and performs with the Ashvegas Outlaws

Atlanta, GA

The Femme Mafia
Atlanta-based progressive, edgy organization of self-identified femmes open to all genders and sexual orientations that seeks to foster connections between femmes, reinforce femme identity and provide members with the occasion to bask in their own fierce fabulousness and the fabulousness of others.
Rachael, Founder
Christina and Andrea, Mafia Femmes

Men Stopping Violence
A social change organization dedicated to ending men's violence against women.
Dick Bathrick, Director of Programs
Shelley Serdahely, Executive Director
John Tramel, Instructor/Trainer

Charis Circle
A nonprofit organization that fosters inclusive community, independent thought and expression, self-directed personal transformation, and collective action toward wholeness in the world.
Moya Bailey, Board of Directors

2006-10-10T16:09:00.000-04:00

The site is up!
I added links to the websites that I could find online for all interviewees and their organizations.
I'm thinking of creating back logs of past journal entries from on the road this summer and other such things soon. Also, when I get more into the editing aspect I'll try to post some clips that will be included in the final film as well. Keep checking back, I'm sure there will be new stuff each week.
<3,
Erin