You and a guest are invited to attend a screening of

BRAINWASHED: SEX-CAMERA-POWER

a film by alumna Nina Menkes

Hosted by the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media

Thursday, May 25, 2023

James Bridges Theater

6:00 p.m. reception
7:00 p.m. screening

Followed by a Q&A with

Nina Menkes, filmmaker
Nancy Richardson, film editor
Maya Smukler, film scholar

Moderated by UCLA TFT Professor Fabian Wagmister

Using clips from hundreds of movies — from Metropolis to Vertigo to Phantom Thread – filmmaker Nina Menkes convincingly makes the argument in Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power that shot design is gendered. The film illuminates the patriarchal narrative codes that hide within supposedly “classic” set-ups and camera angles and demonstrates how women are frequently displayed as objects for the use, support, and pleasure of male subjects. Building on the essential work of Laura Mulvey and other feminist writers, Menkes shows how these not-so-subtle embedded messages affect and intersect with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse and assault, as well as employment discrimination against women, especially in the film industry. The film features interviews with an all-star cast of women and non-binary industry professionals including Julie Dash, Penelope Spheeris, Charlyne Yi, Joey Soloway, Catherine Hardwicke, Eliza Hittman and Rosanna Arquette. The result is an electrifying call-to-action that will fundamentally change the way you see, and watch, movies.