Films of the London Women's Film Group

The two-part program on November 14 begins with two films by the London Women’s Film Group (LWFG, 1972–1977). In 1973, one member, Barbara Evans, accepted an invitation from Helke Sander and Claudia von Alemann to attend the First International Women’s Film Seminar at Arsenal. In addition to addressing labor struggles in factories, offices and in the home, the LWFG's themes included the deconstruction of gender roles as well as sexual and health-related self-determination. The program comprises the short documentary FAKENHAM OCCUPATION (1972), in which Susan Shapiro documented a strike by women at a textile factory, and THE AMAZING EQUAL PAY SHOW (1974)—the collective’s first major collaborative project. As alternative practices to conventional patriarchal film forms, documentary, fictional, musical, and theatrical elements converge here. While the underlying theoretical debates continue to this day—through the works of Laura Mulvey and Claire Johnston for example—the group’s film archive is in a very precarious state. 

Films:
Fakenham Occupation London Women’s Film Group UK 1972 16 mm English OV 12 min.
The Amazing Equal Pay Show London Women’s Film Group UK 1974 Digital file English OV 48 min.