For Immediate Release
25 January 2017
Contact: Jodi Joseph
Director of Communications
413.664.4481 x8113
jjoseph@massmoca.org
Portraits of Power
Women Making an Impact
Documentary film series showcases tough and powerful women
NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS — Female politicians fight for the future of Tunisia; an all-woman bike crew rides for social change; a female hospice unit delays death through song; a single mom becomes a world-famous artist. Pioneering women take over MASS MoCA’s Club B10 this February for the documentary series Portraits of Power: Women Making an Impact. Screened every Thursday night of the month, the four-part film series is uplifting, emotional, powerful, and important.
A Revolution in 4 Seasons tells the story of two politically opposed young women fighting to shape their lives alongside the turbulent politics of Tunisia, the sole country to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings as a functional democracy. The film follows two disparate actors in the process, Emma Ben Jemaa, a secular journalist vying to keep religion out of government, and Jawhara Ettis, a Constituent Assembly member who works to lead the nation towards Islamic principles, charting the development of a new government, a changing society, and the role women play in the two. A Revolution in 4 Seasons screens on Thursday, February 2, at 7:30pm.
Ovarian Psycos highlights a new generation of women of color in East Los Angeles who are redefining their identity and building community through a raucous, irreverently named bicycle crew that takes to the streets to reclaim its neighborhood. Since forming in the summer of 2010 by single mother Xela de la X, the group has expanded swiftly, inspiring a ferocious and unapologetic crowd of local heroines — nicknamed the Ovas — who are a visible force along the barrios and boulevards of Los Angeles. Ovarian Psycos rides along with the Ovas, exploring the impact of the group’s brand of feminism on neighborhood women and communities as they confront the violence in their lives. Ovarian Psycos screens on Thursday, February 9, at 7:30pm.
Seven Songs for a Long Life is an unexpectedly uplifting film of healing through song in which six hospice patients unlock their pasts and illuminate their dreams, allowing us a look into tender, vulnerable, and funny moments of their lives, and revealing an intimate story behind different relationships with death. This is a passionate and touching film about uncertainty and the future that faces all of us. Seven Songs for a Long Life screens on Thursday, February 16, at 7:30pm.
Using verité footage, home videos, and excerpts from journals voiced by Meryl Streep, Everybody Knows…Elizabeth Murray paints an intimate portrait of groundbreaking artist Elizabeth Murray. A determined single mother with nothing but guts and talent, the visionary American artist broke through notorious art world barriers to become one of the outstanding painters of our time. Everybody Knows…Elizabeth Murray screens on Thursday, February 23, at 7:30pm.
The four installments of Portrait of Power: Women Making an Impact screen in MASS MoCA’s Club B10 on February 2, February 9, February 16, and February 23 at 7:30pm. Hot, buttery popcorn and ice-cold beer will be available for purchase before and during the film. Tickets are $5 for students and members, $9 for not-yet-members. Catch the whole series: buy tickets for three films and get the fourth film free. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11am – 5pm Wednesdays through Mondays; closed Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during box office hours or purchased online at massmoca.org.
Images
High-resolution images of MASS MoCA’s winter/spring 2017 events are available through this link: bit.ly/MMWinterSpring2017.
About MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making, displaying, and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video. MASS MoCA will nearly double its gallery space this spring, with artist partnerships that include Laurie Anderson, the Louise Bourgeois Trust, Jenny Holzer, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, and James Turrell.
Gallery admission is $18 for adults, $16 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under through May 21, 2017. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is open seasonally, spring – fall. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit massmoca.org.
Hours
11am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays
Download the Portraits of Power Documentary Film Series press release