Miss Butterfly

Women in Film: BBC Introducing Arts

March 2021 •English

Cultural historian Janina Ramirez presents a collection of intriguing and exciting short films by emerging women directors and artists. Each film gives a female perspective on modern-day topics from body image and new love to grief and belonging. Expect honest and refreshing storytelling that will make you laugh, make you cry and make you think. In a Room Full of Sisters; Blood Stains; Bridging the Gap; Cake; Ding-Ding, Next; Fruity; In Perpetuum; Owulide; White Dwarf; Cosmic Domestic; The Dead Are Jewels to Me; The Presence of Absence

Waira

August 2024 •Quechua

In an isolated community, a young indigenous woman fights for her freedom after enduring sexual assaults. Confronted with a life-altering decision, she stands at a crossroads between resisting or forging a path away from the shackles of violence.

Rebellious

October 2024 •English

In this modern twist on a classic fairy tale, a headstrong princess is stolen by an evil sorcerer, and her scholarly fiancé must use his wits in an epic quest to find her while she boldly challenges her captors and plots a daring escape.

Miss Arizona

June 2018 •English

A former pageant queen embarks on an all-night adventure with four unlikely friends she meets at a women's shelter.

Indigo Blues

June 2024 •English

In pursuit of happiness, a young woman fantasises about killing her boyfriend

The Glorias

December 2020 •English

An equal rights crusader, journalist and activist: Gloria Steinem embodies these and more. From her role in the revolutionary women's rights movement to her travels throughout the U.S. and around the world, Steinem has made an everlasting mark on modern history. A nontraditional chronicle of a trailblazing life.

Hot Dog

January 2019 •English

Hannah wasn't always happy about the existence of her 'Vajayjay'. She talks about how she used to imagine having sex would be like a Céline Dion song and how she discovered masturbation thanks to her PlayStation controller. She's in a love-hate relationship with her vagina and chronicles how her feelings towards her sexuality have changed over time.

100 Girls

September 2000 •English

Matthew, a college freshman, meets his dream girl in a dorm elevator during a blackout. He never sees her face, but instantly falls in love. In the morning, the power is restored, but the "dream girl" has vanished. All Matthew knows is that she lives in an all-girls dorm. He sets out on a semester-long journey to find his mystery girl among a hundred female suspects. Could it be Wendy? Dora? Arlene? Patty? Cynthia? Or the 95 other girls, any of whom could have been in that elevator with Matthew.

Menschenfrauen

January 1980 •German

Menschenfrauen is a film about relationships and the psychological oppression of women in society. Franz, a journalist, maintains relationships with four women. His three mistresses are introduced with television dreams of intense emotional violence (in the first dream, a mother shouts at her daughter, explaining that as a girl, she does not deserve a room of her own), and the fourth is his wife. He is desperate to have each to himself. Franz never offers a substantial sign of love, but is willing to say anything and make any promise for affection. His dependence on women for fulfilment is explained through arguments with his wife. He claims "I am my own sound. The women produce voices within me." An understandable and sometimes sympathetic antagonist is one of the films greatest strengths. The emotional damage he causes becomes believable.

Delphyne

Invalid date •English

Delphyne (meaning ‘womb’) discusses the stigma around menstruation. Addressing shame and acceptance, taboos around menstrual blood are told through a fabric-themed metaphor, and the conflict between a mother-daughter relationship; to find a shared unity and language to beat the conflict which projects itself in the shame metaphor that they’ve unwound and removed from their life. The historical connotations of staining, feminine purity and the divide between private and public space as well as ownership of the body come into play. The coming of age theme is reflected in reference to her struggle with the self (alter-ego), struggle with the ‘other’ (male influence) and struggle with the home (her Mother).

Mersonne ne m'aime

June 1982 •French

After a feminist is found murdered in her own home, a police detective investigates the crime with the help of several determined women.

Penelope's Condition

January 1976 •

A reinterpretation of the Greek legend of Penelope, ”the most faithful of wives”, who waited 20 years for her husband Odysseus to return from The Trojan War. In this animation, the two of them are presented in a more modern setting. While Odysseus is busy exploring the universe in his space rocket, Penelope is stuck at home, taking care of the children, showing how traditional gender roles say men should work, while women stay at home.

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder

February 2009 •English

Leela becomes an outlaw when she and a group of ecologically-minded feminists attempt to save an asteroid of primitive life forms and the Violet Dwarf star from being destroyed, while Fry joins a secret society and attempts to stop a mysterious species known as the "Dark Ones" from destroying all life in the universe.

Through Dusky Ways

October 1972 •English

When you're a newly divorced woman with two older children, it is very difficult to "rebuild your life". By chance, Monica meets someone new, but will she be able to seize this new oportunity for happiness?

Someone Like You...

March 2001 •English

Jane Goodale has everything going for her. She's a producer on a popular daytime talk show, and is in a hot romance with the show's dashing executive producer Ray. But when the relationship goes terribly awry, Jane begins an extensive study of the male animal, including her womanizing roommate Eddie. Jane puts her studies and romantic misadventure to use as a pseudonymous sex columnist -- and becomes a sensation.

Digne

October 2022 •French

América, do Sul

April 2024 •Portuguese

(R)ojo por (R)ojo

April 2023 •Spanish

Caridad won a washing machine in a raffle at her old hair salon. Her daughter Helena thinks that this hulk, as she likes to call it, will only bring more expenses. However, together with all the neighbors, they will find a way to make it profitable. Jealousy will arise, and Paloma will do everything she can to ruin their business. A comedy set in rural Spain.

Shrek the Musical

September 2013 •English

Put out of his swamp solitude by a wicked tyrant's order, grumpy ogre Shrek goes on a journey – accompanied by a chatterbox donkey – to retrieve a beautiful princess from a tower, unaware that she has secrets all her own.

Cameron Esposito: Rape Jokes

June 2018 •English

RAPE JOKES is an hourlong standup special centered on sexual assault from a survivor’s perspective. Written and performed by Cameron Esposito, proceeds from the special benefit RAINN, the United States’ largest anti-sexual violence organization.