Following the success of its first incarnation, Trailblazers returns to celebrate the work of women filmmakers in the US in the 1970s and 80s. Trailblazers (Part 1) shone a light on the female directors that emerged in the more open filmmaking landscape which followed the collapse of the Hollywood studio system. These women’s work had often been unfairly overshadowed by the male directors and actors that also came of age in this period, including the icon of ‘New Hollywood’ Al Pacino, explored in our contemporaneous season celebrating his career.

Broadening out the first season’s primary emphasis on independent drama, this iteration of Trailblazers takes a deeper dive into women’s filmmaking in this period, with a wide-ranging programme that showcases women’s contribution to the American cinematic canon across a range of genres. Showcasing the diversity of work of female filmmakers in a period remembered mainly for ‘maverick’ male directors and stars, the season shines a light on comedies, documentaries, coming-of-age thrillers and shorts made by women across these two decades.

Presenting Elaine May’s definitive ‘final cut’ of offbeat gangster thriller Mikey and Nicky alongside the groundbreaking work of documentarian Barbara Kopple in the Oscar-winning Harlan County, USA, and an exciting programme of rarely-screened short films by Black female directors of the ‘LA Rebellion’ – to name just a few – this season showcases the quality and range of women’s directorial output at this exciting time.

Dovetailing with the exploration of American masculinity spotlighted by our Al Pacino season, screenings will be guided by regular introductions and post-screening discussions that contextualise the comparative difficulties female directors often faced bringing these films to fruition, and celebrate the original visions that emerged in this fight to make their cinematic voices heard.