The Garden Cinema is launching the summer with a season celebrating 13 films directed & written by women, from different nationalities, spanning from the 1940s to now. All of the films operate in the realm of comedy, boldly stretching and contorting the definition of it.
From the dawn of the film industry, female directors were few, and stories were told through a decisively male perspective. Women had more prominence on the other side of the lens, but were relegated to roles like love interest, seductress… you know the drill. However, there were exceptions to the rule: filmmaking women who managed to produce alternative visions, despite adversity. Their films were subversive, not necessarily because they set out to be, but because they emerged from an outsider position. Bringing a new perspective by default, they challenged societal, film, and gender norms – reframing women’s representation on screen. Comedy’s inherent ability to incorporate diverse perspectives proved the apt medium of expression for these marginalised voices.
It all kicks off on 7 June, with a members’ party featuring Kheski Kobler – an internationally award-winning drag clown and performance artist – before a screening of Dance, Girl, Dance by Dorothy Arzner (1940). A panel discussion will follow the screening, bringing together women curators, actors, and directors to contextualise the historical lack of representation for female filmmakers while celebrating the advances that have been made.
The season proceeds chronologically:
Week 1 features screenings of The Passionate Stranger by pioneering director Muriel Box (UK, 1957) – an formally experimental and highly satirical takedown of romantic novel tropes.
In Week 2, the season continues with Daisies by Věra Chytilová (Czechoslovakia, 1966), a provocative, Dadaist comedy and milestone of the Czechoslovak New Wave, and The Heartbreak Kid by Elaine May (USA, 1971), a melancholic tale that turns the rom-com genre on its head.
Week 3 features our most controversial choices: the highly divisive Swept Away (Italy, 1974) by Italian iconoclast Lina Wertmüller – the first woman ever nominated for a Best Director Oscar – and the darkly offbeat Sweetie (Australia, 1989), Jane Campion’s first film, which stretches the definition of the genre by veering into thriller territory. We enter July with The Watermelon Woman by Cheryl Dunye (USA, 1996), an iconic film that seamlessly blends romance, comedy, and political themes of Black queer oppression.
Week 4 concludes with Caramel (Lebanon, 2011), a Middle Eastern rom-com that challenges binding cultural traditions whilst celebrating female friendship.
Week 5 opens with Appropriate Behaviour by Desiree Akhavan (UK, 2014), which follows a flawed, messy central character, who grapples to make sense of her LGBTQI+ and Iranian-American identities. After that, we delve into the highly idiosyncratic Toni Erdmann, which takes aim at corporatocracy, and launched Sandra Hüller’s meteoric acting career outside of Germany.
In weeks 6 & 7, the focus is diasporic narratives, beginning with the hilarious and heartbreaking The Farewell (USA, 2019), a modern classic that explores the joys and dysphoria of cultural tensions. Also screening is Shiva Baby (USA, 2020), a cult gem, where the central character experiences a comical push and pull between her Jewish identity and her bisexuality. The season concludes with the outrageously entertaining Polite Society (UK, 2023), an action film that turns genre etiquette on its head whilst examining the complexities of navigating life as a British-Pakistani teenager.
Throughout the season, the majority of the films will feature introductions, discussions, and partnership events to help us contextualise them. Please check the individual film pages for full details and keep an eye on the season page, as more screenings and events will be added within the next few weeks.
*All the films will have subtitles, and some will include Descriptive Subtitles to make them accessible for the D/deaf and hard-of-hearing communities.
