While teenage girls pour their hearts out to their chosen boy band in the documentary “I Used to Be Normal,” another (as-yet-untitled) documentary spotlights the hatred certain men express towards women online. Would “Bite me” be the right response — a phrase that happens to be the title of the web series-turned-feature about two female newbie exterminators? Certainly Sister Shannon Masters of Warrior Nun Areala, a cross between Hellboy and Pippi Longstocking, wouldn’t take it.
Here are our women-centric crowdfunding project picks of October 2015.
Bite Me — Created by Taylor Coriell and Jasmine Romero
“Bite Me” is a comedic web series about two friends taking over their families’ extermination business after their parents die in a jetski accident — nothing like mass death to kick off a comedy, right? Tragedy and comedy go hand in hand, and we see great potential in this DIY project about growing up, taking responsibility and being thrown into running an unusual business. We also predict a lot of good vermin jokes. It could very well be a funny, female version of “Six Feet Under.” Creators Taylor Coriell and Jasmine Romero, who also play the leads, are committed to passing the Bechdel test and hiring a diverse cast. They want to create a show with the kind of women they meet in the real world, who are “ legitimately smart, legitimately funny and have plans and goals for their lives.”
Support the series’ Indiegogo campaign before November 5.
I Used to be Normal — A Boyband Fangirl Story — Directed by Jessica Leski
What makes smart, sensible girls lose their minds when a group of pimply guys shake their hair and do a twist with a microphone in hand? The documentary “I Used to be Normal” is here to find out. Meeting fangirls of every generation, from worshippers of the Beatles to One Direction, the film “explores the pains and pleasures of loving a boyband, as a teenager and beyond.” In addition to fans in every age group all over the country, director Jessica Leski has interviewed psychologists, music experts and former boyband members to find out what triggers the brains of teenage girls and what they gain from their fandom.
Support the Kickstarter campaign until November 19.
Documentary about Women and Online Harassment — Directed by Amy Guth
Online harassment of women is one of the biggest drawbacks of the wonderful World Wide Web. It’s creepy and cowardly, and because it can be done anonymously, there’s no way of knowing how seriously to take death and rape threats. It’s scary to imagine all the (presumably) men sitting behind their computer screens at home, full of so much hatred towards women. But even in a non-threatening form, a slighting comment can discourage women not made of steel to speak out in a public way.
Amy Guth, a radio host, journalist, documentary filmmaker, author, adjunct professor and the president of the Association for Women Journalists Chicago, is making a yet to be named documentary on the subject. In the video presentation, Guth makes a point that women are often encouraged not to read the comment section, engage or in anyway “feed their trolls.” “By doing that, we’re telling people, especially women and girls, that it’s not a safe place, and we should just run and hide. And that’s not OK with me. And I hope it’s not OK with you either,” she says.
It’s definitely not OK with us. If it’s not OK with you either, support the Kickstarter campaign until November 13.
Warrior Nun Areala — Directed by A.J. Annila
Finnish director A.J. Annila, who has a number of action and horror films under his belt, is adapting Ben Dunn’s 1993 cult-classic graphic novel “Warrior Nun Areala” for the big screen. In a world where comic-based superheroes movies rule the box office — and these superheroes are almost always male — it’s exciting to welcome a female badass alternative to the pack. The heroine, Sister Shannon Masters, seems like an unconventional one, described as a Joan of Arc-like character who fights evil in service of the Catholic church. We were sold by the director’s intention to mix Hellboy with Pippi Longstocking.
Support the film’s Kickstarter campaign until November 18.
