The IU Cinema will kick off its Running the Screen: Directed by Women series at 7 p.m. Tuesday, celebrating the achievements of female filmmakers from the origins of motion pictures to now. A triple feature about the first female filmmaker, Alice Guy-Blaché, will be the first event in the series that spans every screening in September.
“IU Cinema is committed to providing transformative cinematic experiences for all, which reflect and represent all,” Brittany Friesner, associate director of the IU Cinema, wrote in a blog post Monday. “This September, we’re dedicated to reflecting the experiences and visions of women who make movies.”
The first film will be a documentary narrated by Jodie Foster about Guy-Blaché’s career as a filmmaker and why she was forgotten until now. The film will be followed up with two shorts that subvert traditional ideas about gender roles and are directed by Guy-Blaché herself, according to the IU Cinema website.
The first short, entitled “The Little Rangers,” follows two women as they take up heroine roles in order to track down an armed bandit. IU alumnus Andrewe Earl Simpson composed and performed the score for the short film, which has a runtime of 11 minutes.
The second short is a 10-minute piece called “Algie the Miner” and tells the story of a miner who strives to prove his masculinity despite his flamboyance, and who develops a close relationship with his bunkmate Big Jim.
The documentary, entitled “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché,” will center on investigating why the artist was forgotten. The documentary, along with the two following shorts, will run for a total of 1 hour and 43 minutes, and tickets for the triple-feature cost $4 for IU students and $7 for everyone else.
“Be Natural” will be the jumping off point for the entire month of female-directed films. Classic films such as the original 1989 “Pet Sematary” and “Big” will be featured alongside acclaimed modern works such as “Selma,” “The Farewell” and “Fast Color.”
“We are thrilled for what we have planned this September, but it’s not the only month IU Cinema will shine a spotlight on women filmmakers,” Friesner wrote.
Friesner also wrote that of the 125 films IU Cinema is showing this semester, 50.4% of the films were created by women.
Tickets are available for these showings are available online, at the IU Auditorium Box Office or in the IU Cinema lobby an hour before each showing.
