Wednesday 9 October 2013

WOMEN ON WOMEN


CATARINA NEVES RICCI

After reading the manifesto of French feminist collective La Barbe on regarding the inexistence of women directors in the 65th edition of Festival de Cannes, producer and director Catarina Neves Ricci decided to give  voice to female filmmakers. And so was born WOMEN ON WOMEN. The film, now in development and seeking more co-producers, is written, produced and directed by Catarina Neves Ricci and co-produced by the Istanbul based Ajans 21, an established art-house production company specialized in documentaries on a wide range of social and cultural issues.

“That day, after reading the manifesto and seeing its consequences, I questioned myself: how can we keep working when it is systematically proven that distribution and promotion are not equal inside the film industry?” This could be a whole subject for a film, however WOMEN ON WOMEN goes beyond that. The director explains the artistic process she has been through since that day “I started to wonder about femininity, that particular ability to transform and to resist as a big core of the film I was willing to make. One of the sides of femininity is an appeal for challenge boundaries, to understand and seduce the dangerous, the no-fear. And that's the answer to how can we keep working anyway and after all”

WOMEN ON WOMEN wants to takes us on an unexpected journey across the life and work of 5 female filmmakers around the world.  Although all the names have not yet been disclosed, two are already known: Handan Ipekçi, awarded Turkish director, known for her socio-critical films; and the Milano based Alina Marazzi, who’s cinema always speaks for herself: ironic, rigorous and bold, abolishing boundaries between documentary and fiction.With assumed influences from video art, experimental cinema, architecture and dance, WOMEN ON WOMEN fits in the perfect borderline between the poetic – providing a sophisticated visual language and sound - and the drama of what is narrated.

Due to its locations and characters this documentary touches directly on some of the hottest conflicts contemporary society is facing nowadays. The deep insights and questions these filmmakers and their films provoke on the audience are undeniable. As undeniable how important their presence is for a more creative film industry, and their roles as cultural agents on disclosure old taboos in their home territories.

“The methodologies are obviously multiple and diverse, but all the artists presented in this documentary are united in their use of cinema as a mean of intervention and attitude, taking on the role as outspoken and leading advocates for social and political matters “ stands Catarina Neves Ricci.