health care and the health system • reproductive health • menstruation and menopause • pregnancy, birth, and breast-feeding • sexuality • mental health • alcoholism and addiction • disability
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
How to Feed Your Baby (Africa)
Double frame filmstrip, color, in English and French
Made by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Distributor: FAO (Italy)
This filmstrip is designed to teach mothers in Africa proper nutrition for infants during breast-feeding and weaning; suggestions are also made on how to cook recommended foods and what feeding methods to use.
ASIA
Meet Tisani
Film, 27 min., in English and French
Distributor: United Nations Children's Fund (USA)
This film documents the work of Tisani, a Thai public health nurse who works among the people of the Bangkok area. She examines school children, visits the aged and serves in the public health center, which is responsible for 400 local families. The story of Tisani illustrates the new role of women in Thailand's national development as well as the basic problems of public health.
Mother, The Pillar Of Health (India)
Slideshow, 15 min., color, in English
Made by Dr. Saroj Jha
Distributor: AVEHI, Audiovisual Education Resource Center (India)
The slideshow describes day-to-day life and struggles of an Indian woman from a lower class family. It points out that her health is often neglected and that as a mother she needs better health care program.
Indonesian Maternal and Child Health Training Film (Indonesia 1978)
Film, Super 8 and 16 mm, 12 min., color, in English
Made by the Department of Medical and Public Affairs of George Washington University
Distributor: George Washington University, Department of Medical and Public Affairs (USA)
Produced in Indonesia, this training film addresses such subjects as dehydration of infants with diarrhea, care of a child with fever, supplemental feeding for the baby and nutrition for pregnant women. The method of presentation of the film is simple and carefully planned to provide only the most essential message.
Kahani Nahanachi (India)
Slideshow, 20 min., color, in Marathi, Hindi with English commentary
Made by Astha, Adult Education Project
Distributor: Astha, Xavier Institute of Communications (India)
This slideshow deals with puberty and menstruation and social attitudes toward them. By explaining the biological basis of menstruation, it attempts to demystify such attitudes which see women as unclean, inferior and weak.
Kalji Ghyayachi (India)
Slideshow, 26 min., color, in Marathi and Hindi
Made by Astha, Adult Education Project
Distributor: Astha, Xavier Institute of Communications (India)
This slideshow gives information on prenatal care, the need for a balanced diet and medical check-ups. It also deals with larger issues such as women's inferior position in the household, the heavy demands made on them, the lack of care and attention from others in the family and their own desires and struggles to change this situation.
Kahani Nau Mahinyanchi (India)
Slideshow, 34 min., color, in Mahathi and Hindi
Made by Astha, Adult Education Project
Distributor: Astha, Xavier Institute of Communications (India)
This slideshow visually traces the growth of the fetus from conception until birth. It conveys the message that childbirth need not be a painful and frightening experience if a woman understands the biological changes taking place inside her and learns how she can actively assist the process of child birth.
AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC
Pins and Needles (Australia 1980)
Film, 16 mm, 38 min., color, in English
Made by Barbara Chobocky, Genni and Kim Batterham
Distributor: Sydney Filmmakers Cooperative (Australia)
This film is a documentary that deals with the emotional struggle of a 24-year-old woman who contracts multiple sclerosis and becomes a paraplegic in less than 18 months. It examines the attitudes and reactions of her parents, her husband and friends, who all change as a result of her disability. Genni Batterham incorporates her personal battle to come to terms with her disability with broader implications which have a bearing on all disabled people in this society.
Just Out of Reach (Australia 1979)
Film, 16 mm, 62 min., color, in English
Made by Linda Blagg
Distributor: Sydney Filmmakers Cooperative (Australia)
Cath, a young woman, is rushed to hospital after a suicide attempt. The film traces back to her adolescence to depict her conflicts with her family, principally her father, which are later reflected in her relationship with her husband. Each leads her to attempt suicide.
Birth and Beyond (Australia 1979)
Film, 20 min., color, in English
Made by Jeni Kendell
Distributor: Sydney Filmmakers Cooperative (Australia)
This film is about a home birth in Nimbin, a country town in New South Wales. A home birth group called Birth and Beyond was formed there, largely due to the efforts of the local midwife, Carole Elliot. That was over three hundred babies ago. The group still meets to give pre- and post-natal care and support and is still doing an invaluable job delivering new babies in the community.
EUROPE
HEALTH
A Notre Sante (Canada 1977)
(To Our Health)
Video, 1/2 and 3/4 in., 30 min., b/w, in French
Made by Dominique Barrier, Josiane Jouet and Louise Vandelac
Producer: Liasons Nouvelles
Distributor: Groupe Intervention Video (GIV) (Canada)
This video documents the second International Meeting of Women's Health Centers. Held in Rome in 1977, the meeting brought over 300 women from Europe, Australia and the Americas together to talk about their work in the field of women's health, as well as their efforts to challenge the power of the male-dominated medical establishment.
Well Woman/Private Place (England 1983)
First in a five-part series
Video, 25 min., in English
Made by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
Distributor: BBC Enterprises Ltd. (England)
This film takes a positive approach to women's health, taking maintenance of good health and prevention of illness as starting points. The film centers on the working of the female reproductive system and explains what to expect from an internal examination and a cervical smear. It also includes some helpful advice for those who suffer from thrush and cystitis, two common vaginal disorders.
Well Woman/Rhythm and Blues (England 1983)
Second in a five-part series
Video, 25 min., in English
Made by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
Distributor: BBC Enterprises Ltd. (England)
This videotape gives basic facts about menstruation and advice on how to keep a menstrual chart so that women can get to know their own individual cycles. Women who have suffered some common menstrual problems, such as premenstrual tension, talk about how they were helped and how they learned to adapt their life-style to their own particular cycle.
Well Woman/Change of Life (England 1983)
Fourth in a five-part series
Video, 25 min., in English
Made by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
Distributor: BBC Enterprises Ltd. (England)
Menopause and how to cope with its symptoms is the central theme of this episode. Older women discuss their attitudes to aging and their changing self-image.
L'Amour Nu (France 1981)
(Bare Love)
Film, 35 mm, color, in French
Made by Jannick Bellon
Producer: Les Films de la Tour, Planfilm, Film A2, Les Films d'Equinoxe
Distributor: Les Films de la Tour (France)
An interpreter living in Paris, Claire is involved with an oceanographer by the name of Simon. One morning, she discovers a lump in her left breast, and is told by her doctor that she must undergo a masectomy. Afraid to tell Simon, she is filled with anguish about her operation and feels persecuted by images of bare-breasted and attractive women on television and in advertisements. Even after Simon finds out, she rejects his attention, claiming that she does not want anybody's pity. In the end, she accepts her lover's support and decides to begin again.
BIRTH
Positions of Power (England 1983)
Film, 30 min., in English
Made by Jacky Garstin and Delyse Hawkins
Distributor: Four Corners Cinema (England)
This film shows how and why control of the birth process has historically been transformed from a home-based activity which was integrated into everyday life, to a highly mechanized and medicalized event. It includes scenes from the 1982 Birthrights rally in England and discussions with a community midwife. Finally, the film asks what improvements can be made in existing maternity services and suggests alternative ways for giving birth.
Home Truths (England 1983)
Film, 50 min., in English
Made by Jacky Garstin and Delyse Hawkins
Distributor: Four Corners Cinema (England)
Home Truths explores the arguments for and against home delivery and hospitalization through a series of interviews with parents, midwives and doctors. The film shows two home births and suggests that the issue at stake is not so much where women give birth (i.e., at home or in the hospital) as who controls the process. Free choice, the film stresses, is a key factor in making birth a more satisfactory and satisfying experience for all those involved, be they mothers, fathers, babies or birth attendants.
Accouche! (France 1977)
(Give Birth!)
Video, 1/2 in., 57 min., b/w, in French
Made by Ioana Wieder
Producer: Les Insoumuses
Distributor: Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir (France)
This video analyzes and challenges the notion of women's "natural" maternal instinct, combining interviews with scenes from a delivery.
S.O.S. J'Accouche (France 1982)
(Help, I'm Giving Birth)
Video, 3/4 in., 50 min., color, in French; also available with Italian dubbing
Made by Francine Dauphin, Dominique Herve, Carole Roussopoulos and Liliane Siegel
Producer: Centre Audiovisual Simone de Beauvoir
Distributor: Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir (France) and Gruppo Comunicazione Visiva - Genoa (Italy) (Italian version)
The experience of child-bearing described from a feminist point of view.
Understanding Pregnancy and Birth (England 1983)
Video, 1/2 in. (VHS), 71 min., color, in English, also available with Italian dubbing
Made by the BBC and the Open University in collaboration with the British Council for Health Education
Distributor: Gruppo Comunicazione Visiva (Italian version)
Maternity is one of the most exalted and highly publicized experiences our society knows. At the same time, pregnancy, birth and its aftermath are still subject to great taboos and mystifications. For many women, these experiences end up being extremely lonely, confusing and even depressing. In this production, feminist Sheila Kitzinger suggests a number of ways to help pregnant women and their companions overcome these difficulties in order to make the experience as positive and fulfilling as possible. The video is divided into three 24-minute segments: "Preparing for a Happy Birth," "Pregnancy as a Time of Growth" and "Birth."
BREAST-FEEDING
Bottle Babies (West Germany 1975)
Film, 16 mm, 27 min., color, in English
Made by Peter Krieg
Distributor: International Development Education Resources Association (IDERA Films) (Canada)
This film details how multinational corporations have misled thousands of mothers in Third World nations into believing that bottle feeding of babies is superior to breast feeding.
MENTAL HEALTH
Well Woman/Depression (England 1983)
Last in a five-part series
Video, 25 min., in English
Made by BBC Enterprises Ltd.
Distributor: BBC Enterprises Ltd. (England)
Depression, which affects more women than men, has many social factors in its origin. The experiences of women who, knowing they were vulnerable to depression, formed a self-help support group are compared with women leading a more isolated life.
This Isn't Wonderland (1983)
(C'est Pas le Pays de Merveilles)
Distributor: Circle Women's Film and Video (England)
Using a mixture of fictional and documentary styles, the film explores depressive illnesses in women from a feminist perspective. These illnesses are more common to women than men, but causes are less known. The film's feminist analysis locates the causal factors firmly within the cultural position of the women as mother/wife/housewife, roles which seem to demand perfection from them.
Edith's Diary (West Germany)
Film, 108 min., color, in Germany
Made by Hans W. Geissendorfer
Producer: Hans. W. Geissendorfer and Roxy-Film
Distributor: Filmverlag der Autoren (West Germany)
An idealist, Edith fights for a better world in her public life. At home, she also struggles by writing in her diary, using her imagination as a weapon. Soon, however, real life begins to look very different from the kind of life Edith describes in her writing: her husband leaves her, her son becomes an alcoholic and she is forced to nurse an old uncle back to health. Given these depressing circumstances, Edith escapes more and more frequently into the bright and cheerful world of her diary, increasingly confusing fantasy with reality.
ALCOHOLISM AND ADDICTION
Bildnis Einer Trinkerin (West Germany)
(Portrait of a Woman Alcoholic)
Film, 35 mm, 111 min., color, in German
Made by Ulrike Ottinger
Distributor: Munich Film (West Germany) and contact Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir (France)
A psychodrama about two women alcoholics, one a rich and eccentric woman and the other, the local town drunk. This film was awarded Second Prize at the 1980 Film Festival held in Sceaux, France.
Looking in the Fridge for Feelings (England 1980)
Film, 32 min., color, in English
Distributor: Concord Films Council Ltd. (England)
The film gives an alternative answer to weight problems aside from the usual dieting - a compulsive eating therapy group. Susan Orbach, psychotherapist and author of Fat Is a Feminist Issue, describes her approach based on women living at Greenham.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
HEALTH
Aprender para Vivir Melhor (Brazil)
(Learning to Live Better)
Slides (94), color, text in Portuguese
Made by Instituto de Acao Cultural
Distributor: Instituto de Acao Cultural (Brazil)
This is a series of slides about social and political issues relating to women's health. The slides come with a text that can be read out loud by the group leader and adapted to suit the interests of the audience.
El Cuerpo, Instrumento de Comunicacion (Peru)
(The Body, An Instrument of Communication)
Slideshow, 98 slides, 15 min., no sound
Distributor: Centro Peruano de la Mujer Flora Tristan (Peru)
An educational slideshow about human anatomy, physiology and the reproductive system.
Il Incontro de Mujeres (Brazil 1982)
(The Second Women's Meeting)
Slideshow, 80 slides, 8 min., color, in Portuguese
Made by SOS Corpo, Grupo de Saude da Mulher
Distributor: SOS Corpo, Grupo de Saude da Mulher (Brazil)
This slideshow documents the activities of the 2nd Women's Meeting held in Olinda, Brazil in 1982. The meeting brought together various local grassroots women's groups in workshops on health, alternative healing, herbal cures, contraception and exercise for women.
Casa de Salud - A Small Revolution of the Village Women in Mexico (Japan)
Film, in English, Spanish and Japanese
Made by Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP)
Distributor: JOICFP (Japan)
The film features a movement of village women to construct a house of health or "casa de salud" with their own hands to serve the health needs of their community.
A Little Bit More (Italy)
Film, color, in English and Spanish
Made by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
Distributor: FAO (Italy)
This filmstrip is intended to show women in rural areas practical ways of feeding their families more nourishing food without having to spend more money.
Histerias (Brazil 1983)
(Hysteria)
Film, 16 mm, 16 min., b/w, in Portuguese
Made by Ines Castillo
Producer: Tatu Filmes
Distributor: Aurora Filmes (Brazil)
This film describes the emotions of a woman torn between her contradictory feelings of tenderness and violence. In it, the filmmaker challenges purely medical definitions of hysteria, and goes on to analyze its broader cultural and political dimensions and implications.
Salud de la Familia Campesina (Peru 1981)
(Health for the Peasant Family)
Video, NTSC, color, in Spanish and Quechua
Made by Centro de Servicios de Pedagogia Audiovisual para la Capacitacion (CESPAC)
Distributor: CESPAC (Peru)
A four-part series, this video can be used to educate peasant audiences about health, sickness and preventive medicine. The segments can be used independently of one another, depending on the needs of the group.
Section 1 is titled "El Cuerpo Humano" (The Human Body) (25 min.). Section 2, "Que Es la Salud" (What Is Health?) (16 min.), defines health as a balance between the individual and her/his physical and social environment, stressing simple preventive measures and explaining the basic sources of some sicknesses. It also contains an 8-minute explanation on the functioning of the digestive system.
Section 3, titled "Saneamiento Ambiental" (For a Healthy Environment) contains five parts: "Nuestro Aseo" (Cleanliness) (20 min.); "Nuestra Casa" (Our House) (29 min.); "El Agua" (Water) (20 min.); "La Letrina" (Toilet), on toilet construction and maintenance (30 min.); and "Las Basuras" (Trash), on how to avoid diseases from waste and unclean water; microbe, insect and rat control; waste dumping and treatment; and compost and drainage methods.
Section 4, "Atencion de la Madre y el Nino" (Maternal and Child Health), is made up of eleven parts: "La Menstruacion" (15 min.); "La Fecundacion" (Fertilization) (13 min.); "El Embarazo" (Pregnancy) (10 min.); "Cuidados Durante el Embarazo" (What to Watch Out for During Pregnancy) (18min.); "Preparacion de Parto" (Preparing for Childbirth) (11 min.); "El Parto" (Birth) (16 min.); "Cuidados despues del Parto" (What to Watch Out for After Birth) (20 min.); "Cuidados del Nino durante el Primer Ano" (Caring for Children ages 0-1) (19 min.,); "Las Vacunas" (Vaccinations) (18 min.); "La Diarrea" (18 min.); and "El Nino de 2 a 6 Anos" (Child Development Ages 2-6).
SEXUALITY
Taller de Sexualidad y Crecimiento Femenino (Colombia 1982)
(Workshop on Women's Sexuality and Growth)
Slideshow, 20 min., color, in Spanish
Made by "Si Mujer" (Colombia)
Deals with the various activities carried out in the course of a workshop attended by women from the Colombian city of Marathon, including massage, dance, exploration of the genital region and self-examination.
Pintado Sexo (Brazil 1984)
(Sex Talk)
Slideshow, color, in Portuguese
Made by SOS Corpo - Grupo de Saude da Mulher
Distributor: SOS Corpo (Brazil)
This slideshow deals with the topic of adolescent sexuality and is based on research and interviews with girls and boys from various social classes from the city of Gran Recife, as well as with parents and professors. It is accompanied by a written text and by a flyer containing seventeen questions to stimulate group discussion.
Cuando Nace y Como se Desarrolla la Sexualidad (Colombia 1982)
(Sexuality: How It Starts, How It's Done)
Slideshow, 22 min., color and b/w, in Spanish
Made by "Si Mujer"
Distributor: "Si Mujer" (Colombia)
Deals with women's psychosexual development from gestation to old age, with special emphasis on the role of social and cultural influences on women's growth and the obstacles they face in experiencing sexual pleasure.
Los Trapos al Sol (Chile 1983)
(Laundry in the Sun)
Slideshow, 25 min., color, in Spanish
Made by Ana Maria Arteaga and Magali Menses
Distributor: Cine Mujer (Chile)
Members of a poor women's organization take part in a workshop on sexuality. With the help of slides, they learn about women's internal and external genital organs, the menstrual cycle and menopause.
Nuestra Sexualidad (Mexico)
(Our Sexuality)
Slideshow, 80 slides, 15 min., color, in Spanish, with signals for manual slide change
Made by Comunicacion, Intercambio y Desarrollo Humano en America Latina (CIDHAL)
Distributor: CIDHAL (Mexico)
This slideshow discusses female sexuality, focusing on various taboos and myths characteristic of Mexican society, such as those surrounding virginity. This slideshow can be used to stimulate discussion among women from various social classes.
Apenas O Comeco (Brazil 1981)
(I've Only Just Begun)
Slideshow, 20 min., color, in Portuguese
Made by: Angela de Freitas and Helena Pessoa
Producer: Casa da Mulher de Nordeste
Distributor: Casa da Mulher de Nordeste (Brazil) and Fundacion Carlos Chagas (Brazil)
Pregnancy, sexual repression and a lack of basic resources: these are the problems faced by most poor women in Brazil today. Made by a group of women in the city of Gran Recife, this slideshow describes these conditions, focusing on the women's own fears and fantasies as they try to overcome them.
Conversaciones en el Taller (Chile 1982)
(Workshop Conversations)
Slideshow, 46 min., color, in Spanish
Made by Patricia Mora
Producer: Riet Delsing, SUR Professionales - Programa de la Mujer Pobladora
Distributor: SUR Profesionales (Chile)
Every week, a group of poor women living in an outlying district of Santiago get together to talk. This audiovisual focuses on the sessions in which the women discuss their sexuality, considering first the roles that society assigns them - mother, wife and housekeeper - and their own bodies and feelings, shrouded in myth, taboos and ignorance. Next the women discuss why they do not experience pleasure during sex - economic difficulties, lack of privacy, machismo, alcoholism, the kind of education they have received. In the third part the women let their imaginations run free with the help of mental and physical relaxation exercises.
O Prazer e Nosso (Brazil 1982)
(The Pleasure Is Ours)
Slideshow, 20 min., color, in Portuguese
Made by Grupo Maria Bonita
Distributor: Grupo Maria Bonita (Brazil)
A number of women talk about the contradictions they face in trying to get to know and enjoy their own bodies. Here, the source of such problems is shown to be the kind of faulty information the women have received about menstruation, masturbation, pleasure and other aspects of sexuality. The topic is handled with a great deal of humor.
BIRTH
Abuelitas de Ombligo (Nicaragua 1983)
(Grandmothers of the Belly-Button)
Video, 3/4 in., VHS, Beta, 30 min., color, in Spanish and English
Made by Rachel Field and Jackie Reiter
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
The videotape shows the work of "parteras empiricas" or popular midwives in Nicaragua. It is a portrayal of the warmth and wisdom, the customs and spirit of the peasant women who deliver most of the babies born in Nicaragua. The video explores how for the first time in Nicaraguan history, a dialogue is being created between the midwives and representatives of the health care institutions in that country. A s the women learn techniques of modern medicine they are also sharing their folk wisdom with the medical practitioners.
Las Parteras de Jalapa (Nicaragua)
(The Midwives of Jalapa)
Video, in Spanish and French
Made by Jackie Reiter and Rachel Field
Producer: Taller Popular de Video A.T.C.-C.S.T. Nicaragua
Distributor: Groupe d'Intervention Video (France) (French version)
A strong sense of humor colors this emotionally charged account by Nicaraguan midwives, who describe their role in post-revolutionary Nicaraguan society. Proud of having won the official permission and recognition needed to practice their trade, the women discuss their experiences and the history of their traditions.
BREAST-FEEDING
Una Leche Maravillosa (Colombia 1977)
Slideshow and videocassette, 15-20 min., color, in Spanish
Made by Fundacion para la Educacion Permanente en Colombia (FEPEC) and Centro para el Desarrollo de la Educacion No Formal (CEDEN)
Distributor: FEPEC and CEDEN (Colombia)
This slideshow describes breast-feeding as an expression of maternal love and as the healthiest form of nourishment for infants, emphasizing the positive role of breastfeeding for the physical, mental and emotional development of the child.
Cuidados para la Buena Lactancia (Colombia 1977)
(Instructions for Proper Breast-Feeding)
Slideshow and videocassette, 15-20 min., color, in Spanish
Made by Fundacion para la Educacion Permanente en Colombia (FEPEC) and Centro para el Desarrollo de la Educacion No Formal (CEDEN)
Distributor: FEPEC and CEDEN (Colombia)
Explains the basic principles and techniques of breastfeeding, including how to wash and massage the breast in preparation for lactation, appropriate nutrition for pregnant mothers and infants and weaning methods.
NORTH AMERICA
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
On N'est Plus d'Enfants (Canada)
(We're Not Kids Anymore)
Slideshow (138 slides), 24 min., color, in French
Made by Ministere des Affaires Sociales du Quebec
Distributor: National Film Board of Canada
Aimed at adolescents, this film discusses the dangers of venereal disease, including how to avoid it and how to get help.
Linda's Film on Menstruation (USA 1974)
Film, 18 min., color, in English
Made by Linda Feferman
Distributor: Michigan Media (USA)
This film exposes the myths surrounding menstruation by showing the responses of a fifteen-year-old girl and her sixteen-year-old male companion to the girl's first menstrual period. By the end of the film, their attitudes have changed so that menstruation is just another topic of conversation. An animated segment explains the physiology of menstruation.
The Invisible Woman (USA 1979)
Film, 16 mm; video, 3/4 in., 18 min., color, in English
Made by Sabina Wynn
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
The Invisible Woman is a film made to promote discussion around menopause and related issues, using interviews with five women, among them a psychologist who has spent several years researching the subject. This film looks at why women are not valued, or visible, once their reproductive function for society ceases. The film presents women's experience clearly and directly and examines the myths traditionally surrounding menopause and the media's role in perpetuating those myths. Both the psychological and physical symptoms of menopause are explored.
The Menopause Story (USA)
Film, 16 mm, 30 min., color, in English
Distributor: Mobius International (Canada)
This film examines women's concerns and attitudes towards menopause and provides an intimate glimpse into the problems experienced during this phase in a woman's life.
Healthcaring: From Our End of the Speculum (1976)
Film, 16 mm; video, 3/4 in., 32 min., color, in English
Made by Denise Bostrom and Jane Warrenbrand
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
Healthcaring examines women's relationship to the medical establishment. Through personal stories, it documents the growing number of women who are questioning long-standing medical practices and working to implement alternative and more effective health care.
The Chicago Maternity Center Story (USA 1977)
Film, 16 mm, 60 min., b/w, in English
Producer: Kartemquin Films
Distributor: Development Education Centre (DEC) (Canada)
For seventy-eight years a community-based maternity clinic serviced the needs of poor - often Black and Latino — women in Chicago. Now a new expensive women's hospital has been built in its place, but not without resistance from the women. This film documents this struggle and discusses the philosophy of the old Chicago Maternity Center. A group of mothers talks about why the patient-centered low-cost preventive care delivered by the Center was worth fighting for. This is intercut with footage from a difficult home delivery. The film gives an historical analysis of health care in North America, showing why modern medicine rejects the Center's approach in favor of high-profit, hospital-based care.
DES: The Time Bomb Drug (USA 1983)
Film, 16 mm, 27 min., color, in English
Director: Stephanie Palewski
Producer: Stephanie Palewski
Distributors: Development Education Centre (Canada), Limelight Productions (USA)
Thorough and informative, this film traces the problematic history of DES, a known carcinogen used until recently by many pregnant women. The film is structured around five case histories of women who took DES and whose sons and daughters were affected by it. Although the material is presented in a mild manner, it clearly implies that the drug companies are to blame for the damages DES has caused. The film encourages people both to find out if they were exposed to the drug and to question the use of synthetic drugs in general, particularly by pregnant women.
ALCOHOLISM AND ADDICTION
Y Parait Que C'est Mes Nerfs (Canada 1981)
(They Tell Me It's My Nerves)
Video, 3/4 in., 20 min., color, in French
Made by Femmes en Focus
Distributor: Groupe Intervention Video (GIV) (Canada)
"A pill to go to sleep, a pill to wake up, a pill to make you dream. Then suddenly, it's too much! One fine day, it all comes tumbling down..."This video describes the experiences of several women who fought to overcome their addiction to tranquilizers and to take control over their own minds and bodies against the subtle lull of drugs. By showing a number of interviews and meetings, the video points out how discussion and information exchanges among women can help to break the feeling of isolation that leads to and perpetrates drug addiction.
We All Have Our Reasons (USA 1981)
Film, 16 mm, 30 min., color, in English
Made by Frances Reid and Elizabeth Stevens
Distributor: Iris Feminist Collective (USA)
A compelling study about women and alcohol, this film takes us into a group of women alcoholics at the Alcoholism Center for Women in Los Angeles who have been "off" alcohol anywhere from one week to five years. The women talk candidly about their experiences with alcohol, alcoholism and sobriety. The film analyzes some of the reasons why women drink and why society encourages them to do so, and provides support to women whoare in the process of recovery from alcoholism.
MENTAL HEALTH
The Yellow Wallpaper (USA 1977)
Film, 16 mm, 14 min., color, in English
Made by Marie Ashton
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
This film, set in the 1890s and based on the rediscovered literary masterpiece by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, is the story of one woman's mental breakdown and self-realization. Elizabeth, an aspiring writer, is suffering an undefined illness. Against her better judgment she is taken to the country by her doctor/husband for the complete "rest cure." This includes a planned schedule for each day, total rest, isolation - in short a lack of the intellectual stimulation, activity and work which Elizabeth craves. Without stimulation in her world, Elizabeth's mind creates another world, the world of the wallpaper in which she envisions a woman trapped and unable to escape. The Yellow Wallpaper is a rare story of a Victorian woman rebelling against her predestined societal role and desperately battling to maintain her sanity.
Maggie (Canada 1982)
Film, 16 mm, 24 min., color, in English
Made by Katherine Nielsen
Distributor: Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (Canada)
Maggie is the dramatic portrayal of a young women struggling to maintain her sanity. Emphasizing her self-deprecating humor and moving personal stories, the film charts the progression of Maggie's disillusionment to her final realization of her ongoing individual struggle.
The Words/Wounds of Silence (Canada 1983)
Video (VHS), NTSC U-Matic/Pal U-Matic, 55 min., color, in English
Made by Helen Doyle
Distributor: Circles: Women's Film and Video Distribution (England)
In an unusual experiment, filmmaker Helen Doyle tries to establish the connection between creativity and madness in women. The participants in the film, which include women singers, writers, dancers, artists and musicians, all have three things in common: all have been hospitalized at some point in their lives and have all have tried to dispel the notion that they were "crazy'' by pursuing creative work. During interviews, these women discuss their experiences with hospitals, psychiatrists and drugs, and often describe their "madness" as stemming from society's efforts to silence their inner creative voice.
Emergence of Eunice (USA 1980)
Animated film, 6 min., color, in English
Director: Emily Hubrey
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
Eunice, while overcoming the shock of a recent car accident, fears she is pregnant. She decides to leave her uncaring home situation and enter a seemingly more considerate world of strangers. The bold rendering of the animation, in wide strokes of somber colors, emphasizes her earnest attempts to organize her life.
Delivery Man (USA 1982)
Animated film, 7 min., color, in English
Director: Emily Hubley
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
A young woman relates five dreams and experiences involving the doctor who delivered her, her mother who survived surgery and her father who didn't. The narrator speaks calmly as the alternately disturbing and appealing images unfold to music.
DISABILITY
Cathy (USA 1982)
Fiction film, 14 min., color, in English
Made by Cheryl Gosa and Fran Burst-Terranella
Distributor: Ideas and Images (USA)
This is a short fiction film about a teenager with cerebral palsy who decides to try out for a cheerleading squad. The film's message about courage, determination, and the pursuit of a dream comes across with humor and feeling.
The Disabled Women's Theater Project (USA 1982)
Video, 3/4 in., VHS, Beta, 60 min., color, in English
Producer: Women with Physical Disabilities
Distributor: Women Make Movies (USA)
Through a dynamic series of skits and performances by members of the Disabled Women's Theater Project, this videotape communicates the experience of disability through drama. In dealing with everything from employment and public transportation to the Avon Lady and kitchen chaos, the company employs humor to convey the absurd and the painful moments of their lives in order to increase public awareness of the creative abilities and the needs of the disabled.
SEE ALSO
Other resources that address the themes of this chapter are listed below. The chapters where they may be found are given in boldface type.
See these entire chapters:
Reproductive Rights
Short Takes/Environment
ASIA
Women in Struggle
Half the Village Sky (Philippines) - public health
Images of Women
Women in Asian Development - nutrition
AUSTRALIA AND THE PACIFIC
Our Work
Dirt Cheap – environment
EUROPE
Our Work
Risky Business (England) - job hazards
Bitter Wages (England) - job hazards
Identity, Roles and Relationships
Eine Frau mit Verantwortung (West Germany) - mental health
Levanta Mas la Pierna (Spain) - sexuality
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Identity, Roles and Relationships
Vicios de la Cocina (Mexico) - sexuality
NORTH AMERICA
Images of Women
Sacrificial Burnings (Canada) - alcoholism
Identity, Roles and Relationships
Concepts/Glass Curtains (USA) - Alzheimer's disease