Films for the Feminist Classroom (FFC) is hosted by the Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Texas Woman’s University. FFC, an online, open-access journal, publishes film reviews that explore the value of films as pedagogical tools in the feminist classroom. Special features, such as interviews with filmmakers, reviews of film festivals, and discussions about pedagogy, further promote and support our aims to be a resource for educators, librarians, and others in educational spaces. We also hope to enhance feminist curricula, bringing films and other video media into classrooms through thought-provoking, relevant, and dynamic content. Formerly, the Rutgers-based editorial offices of Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society and Women’s and Gender Studies Department hosted this journal.

Issue 13.1

We are thrilled to announce the publication of issue 13.1 of Films for the Feminist Classroom!

With this issue—and all issues—FFC aims to cover topics that span the wide range of spheres that shape our lived experience: government, law, economy, health, environment, media and culture, religion, and our social identities, to name a few. It remains our priority to bring attention to the ways that filmmakers strive to represent and give voice to individuals and communities that are disenfranchised, whose lives and stories are often overlooked or misrepresented. In this work, we remain committed to highlighting the breadth and richness of human differences and diversities as well as the diversity of our planetary ecosystems. Further, we offer our deep and delighted gratitude to the people “behind” the cameras who labor to bring us these stories, as well as to those who trust filmmakers enough to share their experiences. It is always important to speak our truths to power, and we believe that art and artists offer vital portals for conveying these truths, not only to illuminate and critique structures of domination but also to help us imagine new ways of living and being.

The special feature in issue 13.1 “Unfinishing Histories in and through Film,” features artist, writer, and educator Mariam Ghani who invites audiences to notice and confront sociopolitical issues through multiple creative mediums and across a range of topics. Films for the Feminist Classroom was fortunate to connect with Ghani for a conversation about her more recent works in film and video, specifically the 2019 film What We Left Unfinished and Dis-ease, which premiered in 2024. Through a wide-ranging conversation, we explore the process of constructing and editing a film; the ethics of representation, especially when working with archival footage; the way film as a form shapes the practice of telling a story; and, of course, how these films can be integrated into our classrooms.

This issue brings together additional practical teaching tools through film reviews. A few reviews cluster around specific topics: some guide readers through the contemporary landscape of reproductive justice issues with attention to activists working on different sides of this issue. With the fiftieth anniversary of hip-hop in 2023, we’re delighted to highlight the creativity—in the past and present—of women who have contributed to this cultural sphere. Additionally, some reviews examine how gender and sexuality gain visibility in and through media, addressing issues from misrepresentation and erasure to the ways that minoritized communities work to claim space in cultural spheres. Issue 13.1 continues FFC’s work to encompass varied dimensions of our sociopolitical world, covering the prison industrial complex, environmental justice, and intimate partner violence. These reviews highlight the continued need to learn and teach about the forces that contribute to oppression and disenfranchisement at interpersonal, local, regional, national, and transnational scales. But, as the films discussed in this issue remind us, solidarity and resistance are nurtured in our daily lives and bring about profound transformations.

Issue 13.1 includes the following films—and more: In Her Words: 20th Century Lesbian Fiction, Stand Up, Stand Out: The Making of a Comedy Movement, 13th, The Janes, Thirst for Justice, Break the Silence: Reproductive & Sexual Health Stories, Call Me Dad, Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop, All the Ladies Say, Warrior Women, BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, and My Mother’s Girlfriend.

Films for the Feminist Classroom welcomes proposals for film reviews, special features, and lesson plans that include film or video media as well as suggestions about regional and international film festivals to cover in future issues. Please see our call for proposals and contact us at ffc@twu.edu for more information.