Join us for the launch of Women Aren't Funny, a season celebrating 13 films directed & written by women, from different nationalities, spanning from the 1940s to now.
We're kicking things off with an event that will combine a good ol' party with an interesting conversation to contextualise the many layers of the season.
Sip on a special themed cocktail, as Kheski Kobler, an internationally award-winning drag clown and performance artist, takes the floor for an alternative burlesque performance, unlike any you've seen before.
After this, we will head into the screen for Dance, Girl, Dance by Dorothy Arzner, who was, for some years, Hollywood's only working female director. The screening will be introduced by film curator Caroline Cassin, who will discuss Arzner's career, and touch on the power of her further collaborations with other women in the industry.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, bringing together women curators, comedians, and academics to contextualise the historical lack of representation for female filmmakers, while celebrating the advances that have been made.
Timings:
19:00 Doors open, cocktails & mingling
19:45 Burlesque performance by Kheski Kobler
20:00 Introduction by Caroline Cassin
20:10 Screening of Dance, Girl, Dance
21:40 Panel start
22:15 Expected end time
Tickets are £15, and restricted to 2 per member - meaning you can bring a non-member friend for the occasion.
Please note: due to the nature of the burlesque performance, this is an 18+ event.
You can find additional regular screenings of Dance, Girl, Dance here.
Panelists:
Melanie Iredale is a film curator, cultural activist, and director of Reclaim The Frame – a charity with a mission to champion films by filmmakers of all marginalised genders and to build audiences for them. In partnership with cinemas, distributors and festivals across the UK and beyond, #ReclaimTheFrame creates impactful and inclusive campaigns, advocating for equity in all film spaces.
Caroline Cassin is a film and cultural events programmer, who recently graduated with an MA in Film Studies, Programming and Curation from the National Film and Television School. Caroline hosts monthly pre-Code cinema series, Women & Cocaine, at the Cinema Museum in London, and she curated the recent retrospective on Dorothy Arzner at the BFI. Her projects explore and re-examine women’s history in the film industry, both behind and in front of the camera.
Mary O'Connell is an award-winning silly billy, comedian and writer coming box fresh off her sold out, critically acclaimed, debut solo hour 'Money Princess'. Named "Top 15 Must-See Comedy Shows 2023" by Rolling Stone, "Top 12 Rising Stars" by Evening Standard and called 'one of the most relatable shows of the fringe' by The Telegraph. She recently did a run of her hour at the Soho Theatre and has recently done tour support for Tig Notaro. Mary's performance style is a mix of observational annoyance combined with a left-field view of the world that makes for hilarious and often absurd material. Can be seen on Comedy Central Live and BBC3's Stand Up for Live Comedy
Cast:
Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball, Virginia Field