Women in charge. Women leading their communities. Women joining together to share power and resources with other women. Whether in real life or fiction, our current political and cultural moment has women coming together like never before, something our latest round of crowdfunding picks reflect.
Our picks include three documentaries spotlighting women banding together. “Grabbing Back” tells the story of six African-American women addressing Trump and a fragile Democratic party by running for political office in the 2018 midterms. “Queen of Pain” is about a women’s roller derby team in New York City, and “Mothership” showcases a newly-founded overnight women’s festival in Southern California.
Finally, the comedic short “Sinked Up” delves into what happens when two female roommates form a new type of intimacy when they become lovers.
So grab a friend, and check out our latest round of women-created and women-centric crowdfunding picks.
“Grabbing Back” (Documentary) – Directed by Pamela French and Shareen Anderson
“Grabbing Back” is co-director Pamela French’s way of fighting back in the Drumpf era. The doc follows six African-American women candidates running for U.S. Congress in New Jersey. In a moment where unprecedented numbers of women are running for elected office, including unprecedented numbers of African-American women, “Grabbing Back” is a timely and refreshing take on the lead up to the 2018 midterm elections.
The filmmakers, and the candidates themselves, make repeated reference to the first Black woman elected to Congress in the U.S.: Shirley Chisholm. “Unbought and Unbossed” was her election slogan, and this ethos is paving the way for a new generation of Black women in political office who are tired of not seeing themselves represented in government.
“I’m an ordinary woman who made the decision to get off the sidelines and do something,” said Tanzie Youngblood, Candidate for New Jersey’s Second Congressional District.
“Mothership” features interviews with the attendees at an all-women overnight festival in Southern California. Founded by Laura Wise, the film was shot over 48 hours by a four-women crew.
The doc includes commentary from a diverse cast of women of different ages, sexual orientations, races, and perspectives — which form the connective tissue of a film shot outdoors in the Coachella Valley of California.
Director Beth Nelsen said the festival was particularly special, and not just since it was an all-women festival, but because, “It was a festival entirely run by women.” Women in charge. Yes, please, and more, thank you.
Go to Seed&Spark to help support “Mothership.”
“Queen of Pain: A Roller Derby Documentary” – Directed by Cassie Hay and Amy Winston
Director Cassie Hay says she wants to make “Queen of Pain” because, “The world needs more portrayals of bad-ass women out there.”
This feature-length documentary follows the women of New York City’s Gotham Girls Roller Derby Team through the lens of its three primary characters: Suzy Hotrod, a legend with a 15-year tenure in roller derby, Evilicous, a-14 season derby girl and a new mom, and newcomer Captain Smack Sparrow.
While Roller Derby’s profile isn’t as fringe as it used to be — thanks to the early-aughts Ellen Page film “Whip It” — this insider view of a highly competitive team and New York City subculture is a great example of why it’s always important to see the world through the eyes of different perspectives.
Go to Kickstarter to contribute to “Queen of Pain.”
“Sinked Up” (Short) – Directed by Raechel Zarzynski; Written by Alexis Pappas and Morgan Smith
Comedic short “Sinked Up” follows two women roommates who become lovers, and intriguingly, the entire series takes place in “the most intimate room in the home”: the bathroom. Writers Alexis Pappas and Morgan Smith use the bathroom as a metaphor for “the external pressures that weigh on a private relationship. It’s all the stuff happening outside that door that creates the tension.”
Pappas and Smith credit Jill Soloway as a primary inspiration for the project, and hope to make a series that feels closely aligned with “Transparent” and “I Love Dick.” As they explain, “Sinked Up” is “all about questioning the way we present ourselves to the world. Are we queer enough? Are we straight enough? How much do you perform your sexuality?” Now that’s some serious bathroom talk.
You can support “Sinked Up” via Seed&Spark.
To be considered for Women and Hollywood’s biweekly crowdfunding feature, please write to womenandhollywoodinterns@gmail.com. All formats (features, shorts, web series, etc.) welcome. Projects must be by and/or about women.
