Shorts Program: THIS WOMAN’S WORK

History and myth, poetry and reality embrace one another in these four filmic conjurations of the feminine, from the past to the present, and from Guyana to Scotland, Cuba to the United States.

Pattaki
Dir. Everlane Moraes / 21 minutes / 2018 / Cuba
In the dense night, when the moon lifts the tide, beings trapped in the daily life of water scarcity are hypnotized by the powers of Yemaya, the goddess of the sea.

Doll Thomas
Dir. Ashanti Harris / 22 minutes / 2019 / Scotland
Doll Thomas is a document of artist and filmmaker Ashanti Harris’ research into the historical relationship between Guyana and Scotland, and the hidden legacies of a female diaspora. In the film, Harris applies Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s theories of translation as a methodology for speculating history and elaborating on the complex and extraordinary life of Doll Thomas, from the limited archival information documenting her existence.

Spit on the Broom
Dir. Madeleine Hunt Ehrlich / 11 minutes / 2020 / United States
For more than a century and a half, a group of African-American women belonging to a clandestine organization have acted as agents of goodwill in their communities. This visual essay conveys the history of the United Order of Tents, a secret society that originated in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The strength of this multigenerational sisterhood is shown through an amalgamation of historical reenactments and contemporary sequences.

When Angels Speak of Love
Dir. Helen Peña / 13 minutes / 2021 / United States
A ritual portrait of a Miami woman as she grieves her sister’s passing and prepares for new life in Clearwater, FL.

Please note: this program can be viewed only once during a three-hour window beginning at the scheduled time. For more information on viewing this program or any films, please visit our FAQ and How to Watch pages.