Panel
Feat: Janicza Bravo, Margarita Jimeno,
Jackie Kong and Mason Richards
A conversation about maleness through the lens of women filmmakers.
The Rustic Theatre
Sunday 22nd, September
12.00 – 13.00 PM
The male gaze and men’s interpretations of femininity have been the subject of entire books, but women’s take on masculinity, the male ego, male performance, not to mention the erotic gaze of women, has enjoyed far fewer column inches.
The critical distance afforded by women making films about “the opposite sex” has heralded some wonderfully nuanced, comedic, compassionate and sometimes purposely cringe making movies. We consider some of these works with a group of wildly talented directors, who have each tackled the subject with originality and insight.
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JANICZA BRAVO
Janicza Bravo is a writer, director, photographer, actress, producer, costume designer and more! Bravo has been directing and writing innovative content since her VICE produced short, “Eat!” in 2011. In 2014, her short film Gregory Go Boom, starring Michael Cera, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and Janicza was named as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Cinema.”
In 2016, Bravo directed her first feature, Lemon, which she co-wrote with Brett Gelman. The film stars Brett Gelman, Michael Cera, and Judy Greer, and a remarkable ensemble cast including Nia Long, Fred Melamed, Shiri Appleby, Rhea Perlman, David Paymer, Gillian Jacobs, Megan Mullally, Martin Starr, Jeff Garlin, and Marla Gibbs.
As a creative who studied theater at New York University before eventually transitioning into filmmaking, Janicza fearlessly embraces new forms, genres, and technologies. Hard World for Small Thing, her first turn to virtual reality, premiered at Sundance in January of 2016. Janicza has also directed episodes of acclaimed television series, including Atlanta, LOVE, Divorce, and Dear White People.
MARGARITA JIMENO
Was born in Colombia, moved to Florida when she was 12, moved back to Bogotá for a couple of years, then when she was forced to quit art school I applied to only one film school in New York, was luckily got accepted and has lived there ever since. As a perpetual outcast she is drawn to a world of creativity and creation.
Jimeno is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker and visual artist based in New York. Her films have played widely in festivals and have been distributed internationally in theaters and on television. Margarita’s first narrative feature film, Grind Reset Shine, won the US Work in Progress Grand Jury Award at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris. Jimeno made her directorial debut with the feature music documentary, Gogol Bordello Non-Stop, which won several awards during its festival run. The film went on to be picked up by Kino-Lorber for North American distribution. Margarita is an alumna of the Berlinale Talent Campus. In addition, she produces and directs the documentary series Working in The Theater.
JACKIE KONG
Jackie Kong is the much loved director, producer, and screenwriter known for wildly irreverent comedy and over-the-top horror films. In 1983, she made her feature debut with the drive-in horror The Being, in 1984, she followed that up with Night Patrol, setting the stage for the comedic cult horror film Blood Diner, released in 1987.
MASON RICHARDS
Writer/Director Mason Richards was born in Guyana, South America and emigrated to Brooklyn, New York with his family at age 7, where he spent most of his youth and first discovered his talent for the arts.
Recipient of the 2012 Sony Pictures Diversity Fellowship given to one emerging new film talent each year, Mason is also an advocate of inclusion in the film industry and has curated several Community Outreach Programs in collaboration with BAFTA-LA, Actors4Autism, Young Storyteller’s Foundation, The Bill Duke Foundation, Tina’s Angels/Richard’s Warriors, and The Actor’s Fund, providing film courses and workshops to communities often underrepresented in terms of race, gender and ability in the Hollywood film industry.
Mason works as a Creative Consultant and Facilitator of cross-cultural communication for numerous orgaisations, including the inaugural Men’s Forum at NeueHouse-Los Angeles where he curates and facilitates conversations on masculinity, intersectionality and the #metoo movement. Mason also produces digital content and mini-docs around diversity, inclusion, intersectionality and representation.
His award-winning short film THE SEAWALL shot on location in Guyana, South America, was an official selection for the Cannes Film Festival (2011)
Mason is currently in pre-production for the feature-length version of THE SEAWALL, and loves to split his time between New York City and Los Angeles. He considers himself and artist-activist believing that change and transformation can happen through the arts.