Gender in International Films series

2:23 p.m., Sept. 21, 2006--The Gender in International Films fall series, sponsored by the Women's Studies Program, is open to the public and also may be taken as a one-credit pass/fail course (WOMS 290.010). The series and course will be held 3:35-6:35 p.m., Wednesdays, Oct. 4-Nov. 1, in 102 Gore Hall.

Scheduled films include:

Water (India), Oct. 4--This movie takes place in colonial India and exposes the practice of secluding widows in a special ashram where they must live a life of repentance. Director Deepa Mehta's Water is part of a trilogy, which also include her previous films, Fire and Earth. All three movies have raised the ire of Hindu fundamentalists. Themes include arranged child marriage, attitudes toward widows, religion and superstition, women's relationships with each other, prostitution, India's third sex (hijras), the caste system, patriarchy, complicity and resistance to oppression.

Chaos (France), Oct. 11--Written and directed by Coline Serreau, this movie has been described as dark comedy, social critique and crime thriller. The plot revolves around the guilt and subsequent actions of Helene, a married, middle-class Parisian woman, who witnessed the beating of a young Algerian-French prostitute. Themes include Algerian emigration to France, the plight of immigrant women, social class, prostitution, gender roles, relationships, female bonding and survival.

Yesterday (South Africa), Oct. 18--South African filmmaker, Daryl James Roodt, depicts real life and troubles in rural South Africa through the story of one young, HIV-positive mother. This film gives viewers a personal account of an epidemic affecting almost 25 percent of South Africa's adult population. Themes include education, work and poverty in rural South Africa, racism and the legacy of Apartheid, HIV/AIDS and the health-care system, gender roles, domestic violence, dealing with anger, and courage and the human spirit.

Real Women Have Curves (United States/Mexican-American culture), Oct. 25--This movie was adapted from the play, Las Mujeres de Verdad Tienen Curvas written by Josefina Lopez, when she was 19 and working in a Los Angeles dressmaking sweatshop. A slightly chubby teenager, Ana Garcia struggles with culturally diverse views toward female education, sexuality and independence. This is a feminist movie, but with supportive, sensitive male characters. Themes include culture clash around female roles and behavior, weight and body image, the fashion industry, sweatshop employment and the mother-daughter relationship.

Yurisai (Japan), Nov. 1--This movie was based on Momotani Hoko's- prize-winning novel of the same name, which translates as Lily Festival. In Yurisai, director Hamano Sachi tackles sexuality in advanced age, a neglected topic in Japan. The heroines in this movie range in age from 69-91, and the male lead is 75-years-old. Themes include gender roles, female disappointment in marriage, attitudes toward the elderly, desires of the elderly, jealousy and competition among women, bonding among women, lesbian and heterosexual sexuality.

For more information, contact Suzanne Cherrin, assistant professor of women's studies, at (302) 831-1899 or send e-mail to [scherrin@udel.edu].

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