Katy-Sharp Watson previews a feminist film festival which puts rom-coms to the test.
A new feminist film festival is holding its first event at the Genesis cinema in Mile End on Sunday 8 February.
‘Reclaim the Rom-Com’ is an afternoon of screenings and panel discussions, which asks if any romantic comedies have succeeded in portraying female characters as positive and progressive. The event is part of the year-long ‘Bechdel Test Fest’, which aims to question and challenge how women are depicted in mainstream movies.
The festival is named after the test for films invented in 1985 by Alison Bechdel. In order to pass ‘the Bechdel Test’, a film must contain at least two female characters, both with names, who talk to each other about something other than a man. Not many movies pass this test, and the pass-rate is even lower when applied to romantic comedies.
Sunday’s session starts at 1.30pm with a screening of Gillian Robespierre’s ‘abortion rom-com’ Obvious Child, followed by a discussion with film journalists Simran Hans and Craig Williams, and rom-com researcher Alice Guilluy.
The event will conclude with a screening of 1940 Hollywood classic The Philadelphia Story starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart.
To find out more about the Betchdel Test Fest visit: www.bechdeltestfest.com
Katy Sharp-Watson is Rising East’s Film and TV Editor.