Panyen Bambou (2023) by Laïssa Christelle Alexis
Friday, October 24, 2025, 7:00 pm
Gravitational Lensing: Myths, Tales & the Feminist Unconscious
Feminist Film Dialogues, Program 12
Presented in Association with Shapeshifters Cinema
Admission: $15 General / $13.50 Cinematheque Members and Members of Shapeshifters Cinema
Event tickets here
Gravitational Lensing: Feminist Film Dialogues is an ongoing film series curated by Kathleen Quillian & Amy Reid and presented by Shapeshifters Cinema in association with San Francisco Cinematheque. The series is dedicated to exploring the visions, voices, concerns and lineage of women, non-binary, genderqueer and transgender filmmakers through public film screenings, workshops, conversations and presentations.
Gravitational Lensing, program 12: Myths, legends, folktales and fairytales are all communally-shared stories handed down through generations that attempt to explain the world, answer timeless questions and serve as a moral compass. The films in this program re-cast and re-direct some of these narratives through a contemporary, feminist lens to illuminate new understandings of these otherwise universal tales.
SCREENING:
The Story of Lillith (1997) by Lynne Sachs. Calypso (2021) by Mariangela Ciccarello. Panyen Banbou (2023) by Laïssa Christelle Alexis. Pythoness (1979) by Amy Halpern.
About Gravitational Lensing:
Inspired by and named after the scientific phenomenon in which the gravitational pull of celestial bodies clustered together causes a curvature of spacetime strong enough to magnify distant objects, Gravitational Lensing aims to highlight and amplify the work of women, non-binary, genderqueer and transgender filmmakers by the sheer magnitude of their collective creative energy when gathered together in common dialogue.
The series will be presented over the course of 12–18 months with each program organized around a specific theme, pairing films selected from our open call with other filmmakers whose work engages with similar subjects, ideas or techniques. Films in the series will touch on everything from the intersections of gender and mythology to colonial histories and everything in between.
In addition to film programs Shapeshifters Cinema will be offering a series of hands-on workshops led by experienced feminist filmmakers and educators addressing different aspects of personal filmmaking, including material cinema, documentary filmmaking and more. These workshops are designed for all levels of experience and are open to all. Visit www.shapeshifterscinema.com for details.
See also: “The Fourth Wave is a Lens” by Jadie Stillwell (which includes an interview with series curators Kathleen Quillian & Amy Reid), published by Screen Slate, SF Bay Area here.
Gravitational Lensing is presented by Shapeshifters Cinema in association with San Francisco Cinematheque. Support for the series is provided to Shapeshifters Cinema by Southern Exposure’s Alternative Exposure Grant Program.