Still Working 9 To 5, a film in the Doc Edge Festival 2022, interviews stars of the original movie 9 To 5. From left Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda. Photo / Supplied
Still Working 9 To 5, a film in the Doc Edge Festival 2022, interviews stars of the original movie 9 To 5. From left Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda. Photo / Supplied
The Documentary Edge Film Festival celebrates its 17th edition launching in theatres in Tāmaki Makaurau next week. Zanna Gillespie previews some of the key films, with wāhine front and centre.
Women know that other women are endlessly fascinating, creative, vulnerable, tenacious, oppressed, outspoken, introspective and powerful - in other words,ideal documentary subjects. Which is why documentary film-making is increasingly becoming the place where female directors are getting traction. Among the more than 70 feature documentaries and 39 shorts screening at The Documentary Edge Film Festival, starting next week, is an extensive programme of accomplished films made by and about women. Here is a small selection of the films with exceptional women in front of and behind the camera.
Jane Fonda and co-stars Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin discuss how the film 9 To 5 came to be, its relevance then and - unsurprisingly - now. Photo / Supplied
STILL WORKING 9 TO 5 Proving that Jane Fonda is a feminist hero for the ages, this cautionary tale explores the plight of women in the workplace through a retrospective behind-the-scenes look at the 1980 film 9 to 5. There are some fabulously entertaining stories from Fonda and co-stars Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin about how the film came to be, its relevance then and - unsurprisingly - now, and that timeless song. Featuring some wonderful archive footage of strong women and foolish-sounding men at rallies for women's rights in the workplace, this film will have you pouring yourself "a cup of ambition" and running to join a picket line.
Melting Dreams follows three young Afghani women who get the opportunity to travel to Europe to become licensed ski instructors. Photo / Supplied
MELTING DREAMS This could be the most charming cast and unlikely story at the festival. Melting Dreams follows three young Afghani women - Zakia, Fatima and Fariba - from the Bamyan mountains, who get the opportunity to travel to Europe to become licensed ski instructors. Carrying with them the weight of Olympic-sized aspirations, these women discover that life as Afghanis in Europe isn't exactly what they thought it would be. Melting Dreams explores what happens when your dreams become reality but the reality isn't at all what you dreamed. Both heartbreaking and hopeful, this doc is a hidden gem.
Emmy award winner Violet du Feng's Hidden Letters tells the story of a secret written language - Nushu - created over 400 years ago by Chinese women. Photo / Supplied
HIDDEN LETTERS Proving that the sisterhood has always been strong, Emmy Award-winner Violet du Feng's Hidden Letters tells the incredible story of a secret written language - Nushu - created more than 400 years ago by Chinese women in a few secluded villages. Ordered to obey their fathers, husbands, then sons, these women documented their lives through written poetry and song that only they could understand. This beautifully sombre film follows two women: Hu Xin, a museum tour guide in rural China and Wu Simu, an urban-dwelling, newly engaged music teacher, who are carrying the Nushu torch and sharing the stories of these forgotten women with a new generation while still dealing with the expectations of a deeply patriarchal society.
Afghan-Canadian filmmaker Fazila Amiri's heartwarming story about female music mentorship and becomes a devastating document of last year's Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
AND STILL I SING This remarkable and affecting documentary by Afghan Canadian film-maker Fazila Amiri starts as a heartwarming story about female music mentorship and becomes a devastating document of last year's Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Two singers, Zahra Elham and Sadiqa Madadgar, are vying to be the first female winner of reality television show Afghan Star under the mentorship of controversial Afghani pop star and activist Aryana Sayeed. When violence from the Taliban escalates, the three passionate musicians fear for their country, their careers, their lives and the lives of all women and artists in Afghanistan. There's some harrowing footage of the Taliban's activities in Kabul but the strength and perseverance of these women makes for powerful viewing.
The rise and vilification of Sinead O'Connor is the subject of a Nothing Compares, by Irish filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson. Photo / Supplied
NOTHING COMPARES Told entirely through archival footage and audio interviews, Nothing Compares tells the story of arguably the first woman to be cancelled for being too much: Sinead O'Connor. Irish film-maker Kathryn Ferguson weaves the story of O'Connor's traumatic childhood, controversial rise to fame, outspoken feminism and ostracisation from the pop mainstream with a cultural critique of Ireland in the 80s and 90s. O'Connor was astonishingly young when she became so adored and then so roundly vilified by the world, and the film is a poignant reminder of the consequences for women who have the ovaries to speak out.
Director Noura Kevorkian's Batata follows Syrian migrant worker Maria and her family over a period of ten years working the land in Lebanon. Photo / Supplied
BATATA Director Noura Kevorkian has perfected the art of slow film-making in Batata, a documentary that follows Syrian migrant worker Maria and her family over a period of 10 years working the land in Lebanon. Documenting the lives of this family and the Lebanese land owner they work for, the film sees the family experiencing the entirety of the human experience - joy and struggle, birth, marriage, death and grief - proving that even in the worst of circumstances, including civil war, life goes on. It's a remarkable achievement in documentary-making and you're unlikely to see any other film in the festival that gives you such a complete picture of the life of another.
Doc Edge runs online until July 10. Then June 15-19 & 24 at The Capitol Cinema, June 15-26 at Silky Otter Ōrākei and June 22-26 at The Civic. For nationwide screenings visit docedge.nz
