'She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry' and the Mountain Tour!

Monday started off the third day of Southern Circuit, driving from Athens, Georgia to Johnson City, Tennessee, an epic adventure – thrilled by the mountains, lakes, and gorgeous scenery on I-26 W.  I wanted to stop and take it all in; however, it was hard to keep driving.  But there were students to meet!   

I arrived at Eastern Tennessee State University early that afternoon and met with two terrific classes on women’s issues and gender studies taught by Hilary Malatino. The students had great questions, and it was such a pleasure to get to talk with them.    

  

I enjoyed a delicious Thai dinner with some of the ETSU staff and students before screening 'She’s Beautiful' to a packed audience that night.

An additional treat, our youngest viewer ever, nine-month-old Charlie, was all eyes for the film!

The ETSU team did a fantastic job of publicizing the event.  Many thanks to Heidi Ehle and Phyllis Thompson, and Anita DeAngelis, the Director of Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, for sponsoring this whole event.  There was a lovely reception afterwards in a gallery with a brilliant installation on violence against women, the body and blood, by Native American contemporary artist Luzene Hill. What a powerhouse team! Many thanks to Lisa Gail Cutshaw for the great photographs.

As I was driving back down the mountain roads the next day, I became a fan of country music radio, especially the song, “Crash and Burn,” which I sang along with in the car because it’s on all the stations and no one could hear me!  My next stop would be Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. I drove through so many fascinating places, including Maggie Valley, and realized that the South can be habit-forming. Yes, I love the Smoky Mountains!

At Western Carolina University, I met with the next dynamic duo Francis Ann Ortiz from Campus Programs and Maven Mayfield, her student associate – what an amazing team! 

They made the screening fun and interactive with a wall poster for students to write about their views on feminism as well as a special frame for photos, not to mention popcorn!! There was a great Q & A after the screening and then more discussions about the film and feminism in the hallways.

By then it dawned on me - every site on Southern Circuit is full of more than great audiences, but also deeply dedicated staffers who are making sure that it’s a wonderful experience for everyone. Lucky me! 

Two more stops on the road to go,  TO BE CONTINUED……..

All best,   

Mary Dore

Danielle Beverly from Old South visits Oxford College

From Filmmaker Danielle Beverly of Old South: 

Oxford College is the small, rural outpost an hour away from big sister Emory University in urban Atlanta. With just around 900 students, it’s a lovely, tiny, but bustling campus. My host Dr. Margaret “Molly” McGehee, arranged a dinner prior to the screening, and as we walked through the student cafeteria I could see and hear how connected students were with one another. I smiled as I caught snippets of their animated conversations (and jealously eyed their frozen yogurt machine.)

Dr. McGehee invited several faculty, staff and students to a small dinner before the screening. Talk quickly turned to Greek and race issues on their campus, and other colleges. No small talk was exchanged. Rather each of the women took a turn to share illuminating personal stories. A stranger and their guest, I was grateful for such generous conversation, which provided me salient insight into their college and wider experiences, in advance of the post-screening Q&A.

Sated by meaningful conversation, and a healthy (yay) salmon dinner, we took this photo before heading to the screening.

I didn’t quite believe my host Molly McGehee, when she warned that the huge gymnasium theatre would be pretty full. But she was right. I took this photo, as folks still had 10 minutes to arrive.

Oxford College is special in that it is reserved for freshman and sophomores only. It provides a focused, intensive liberal arts education that primes first and second year students for the move later to Emory’s more sprawling campus in Atlanta. This made me all the more impressed with the deep and sometimes heated discussion about racial dynamics, after the screening of Old South. I asked for “real talk” and these underclassmen brought it.  Students felt empowered to share strongly held opinions, and then those impressions were refuted and challenged by others. In this vigorous back and forth exchange, they dialogued intelligently and shared passionately with each other, even as they respected one another. This was, by far, one of the best post-screening conversations of the Old South tour. I learned so much from this student body.

A week later, I received an email from an Oxford student: “Black Student Alliance had a discussion on Race and Greek Life during our general meeting and many of our talking points came from the film and Q&A afterward.”  I had hoped the film would resonate with students, and it appears it has at Oxford College. Greatly humbled.

Yoruba Richen of The New Black - Oxford College, Presbyterian College, and Creative City Collaborative

From filmmaker Yoruba Richen of The New Black:

Creative City Collaborative Screening

I was super excited to hit the south with my documentary The New Black. Though we have had screenings in the region, this would be the first time I was able to be there and participate in Q and As. The film tackles some pretty hot button issues (race, sexuality, religion) and I was very curious to see how folks in the south would engage with it.

The first stop was Oxford College it Georgia. It was probably the coldest day of the year - but that didn't prevent a packed house for the screening, followed by a really good discussion afterward. The next morning I had breakfast with the Black Student Association and we talked about many issues that the film brought up, including the intersection of being black and LGBTQ, to need for more African-American filmmakers out there telling our own stories, from our own perspectives. I then got on the road and drove to Clinton SC. It was a beautiful drive through the wintry back roads, and I enjoyed the peacefulness and quiet solitude - very different from my New York City life. In Clinton, I screened at Presbyterian College and again the cold weather didn't stop folks from coming out. It was great talking with the students about the role of religion in their lives and how that affected their views on marriage equality. What is interesting is how much folks are engaging in this issue all around the country and how the conversations are similar despite the differences in policy in each state. Next was Creative City Collaborative in Pompano Beach FL. The space was beautiful and the crowd energetic. It was amazing timing to be screening in the south as Alabama was grappling with the recent court order to allow same-sex marriage. This made for rich discussions in each of the venues and I'm so thankful that I got this opportunity 

Katie Damien, My Toxic Backyard - Oxford, GA

The latest update from filmmaker Katie Damien, touring her film My Toxic Backyard on the Southern Circuit:

First stop for us on the Southern Circuit is Oxford College where Jaime Byrd, my associate producer/editor/co-writer, and I have been made to feel so very welcome and at home. We are staying in the gorgeous twelve oaks B&B in historic Covington. We were treated to a wonderful dinner with faculty and not only was the screening packed, but the students had great questions afterward. What a great way to kick off our tour of the Southern Circuit!