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 12.2

We are thrilled to announce the publication of issue 12.2 of Films for the Feminist Classroom!

In March 2024 Texas Woman’s University was—serendipitously—able to screen the film Old Lesbians and follow it with an in-person conversation with two of the filmmakers, Meghan McDonough and Rengim Mutevellioglu. What started with the question What other lesbian archives are out there? became a journey into the Old Lesbians Oral Herstory Project, which the film explores. Centering the project’s founder Arden Eversmeyer within a constellation of vignettes from theproject’s interviewees, Old Lesbians interweaves archival materials, animation, audio clips, and live footage to show the rich textures of lesbian life as women grappled with their sexuality, built community, and aged vibrantly. The post-screening conversation, which is featured as a transcript in this issue, gives deeper insight into the processes of production and the politics of storytelling. And we’re delighted to share that Old Lesbians is currently accessible online, through the Guardian Documentaries platform.

Issue 12.2 highlights an eclectic group of films, with little overlap in topic between the reviews and lesson plan. From urban-environmental racism, to the cultural force of music and comics, to suicide and immigration, the contributions show that—despite different foci—a sense of social justice threads through. Some reviews lean toward critiques of institution-based inequities, such as those shaping healthcare for people living as women or assigned female at birth and those that segregate urban areas through racist and classist policies. Others explore politics at a more individual scale: what does life look like for people who have survived suicide attempts? How have music and musicians had an impact, locally and beyond? What does motherhood look like for people in precarious positions? And how does immigration affect the way people navigate a LGBTQ+ identity? Finally, there are some common themes. One review and lesson plan illuminate trans* lives and activism through some prominent historical figures in the LGBTQ+ and social justice activism, Marsha P. Johnson and Silvia Rivera. And two reviews analyze patterns of representation in popular culture, through fictional dystopias about reproductive politics and through practices to diversify who creates and is depicted in comics.

Issue 12.2 includes the following films—and more: Cooked: Survival by Zip Code; bOObs: The War on Women’s Breasts; Entre Nos; Drawn Together: Comics, Diversity and Stereotypes; Happy Birthday, Marsha!; The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson; Serenade for Haiti; Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America; No Men Beyond This Point; and The S Word.

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.