Diana Means interviews British-Turkish-Iranian documentary filmmaker and musician Sheida Kiran to talk about her documentary film 'Harvesting Our Tea' screening in the online Women Voices Now documentary film festival  March 1st - March 31st. 

ABOUT SHEIDA KIRAN
Sheida is a British-Turkish-Iranian documentary filmmaker and musician based in London. She conducted research on women and migration during her BSc Social Sciences studies at UCL. This led to her MA in Documentary Film at LCC and position as a production coordinator at award-winning charity Medical Aid Films, where she supports the production of health films for vulnerable women and children. Driven by her passion for ethnographic storytelling, her most recent work focuses on documenting women in agriculture and their rights to land ownership.

ABOUT HARVESTING OUR TEA
For centuries, women have picked tea on the steep slopes of Turkey's Black Sea region. It is grueling work, and much of what they earn has traditionally been handed to their husbands. ‘Harvesting Our Tea’ follows a new generation of women who are turning their backs on tea picking and the overall submissive culture. As these young women hope for change the older women fear for their way of life.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S VOICES NOW (WVN) FILM FESTIVAL AND HOW TO ATTEND
The Women’s Voices Now Film Festival is an international women’s rights documentary film festival supporting emerging women filmmakers. Since 2011, we have received 1070+ film submissions from 85+ countries. See link below to purchase tickets through Eventbright.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2023-womens-voices-now-film-festival-holding-ground-under-siege-tickets-529692373147
Discounted tickets can be requested by emailing: events@womensvoicesnow.org. 

Alliance of Women Filmmakers is proud to partner with Women Voices Now to present this podcast. 

Editing by Otaku Media

Diana Means interviews Executive Director of Women Voices Now Heidi Basch-Harod about their documentary film festival that takes place online March 1st - March 31st. 

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S VOICES NOW (WVN) FILM FESTIVAL
The Women’s Voices Now Film Festival is an international women’s rights documentary film festival supporting emerging women filmmakers. Since 2011, we have received 1070+ film submissions from 85+ countries and awarded $118k in cash prizes to filmmakers.

THIS YEAR’S THEME: Holding Ground Under Siege
Around the world we see backlash against the progress made in the global women's rights movement. Women face new challenges precisely because of the advances made toward realizing their full human rights. Instead of pushing forward, is now a time to maintain our gains? Looking through the lenses of our filmmakers: Where should we focus our efforts in the coming years?

HOW TO ATTEND
Anyone with access to the internet can purchase a ticket for the Festival on Eventbrite for $36 here. Users will gain access to the competing films once they’ve purchased a ticket to the festival via Eventbrite. No one is turned away for lack of funds.  Discounted tickets can be requested by emailing: events@womensvoicesnow.org
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-2023-womens-voices-now-film-festival-holding-ground-under-siege-tickets-529692373147

Alliance of Women Filmmakers is proud to partner with Women Voices Now to present this podcast.
Editing by Otaku Media

Diana Means interviews co-producer Brooke Sebold about the Sundance 2022 audience award winner film "Framing Agnes" as well as Grandma Bruce which Sebold wrote edited and directed.  

About "Framing Agnes":
Agnes is a transgender woman who participated in Harold Garfinkel’s gender health research at UCLA in the 1960s. Director Chase Joynt blends fiction and nonfiction to widen the frame through which trans history is viewed with an impressive lineup of trans stars who render, impressive reenactments.

This film is Distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media
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About "Grandma Bruce":
is a magical short comedy about a queerdo (they/them) whose old car comes to life with the spirit of their judgmental Jewish grandmother, a backseat driver from the ever after.

About the podcast:
Visionary Voices podcast is produced and hosted by Diana Means founder of Alliance of Women Filmmakers, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement and equality of women in entertainment. For more filmmaker conversations with Diana Means please visit www.visionaryvoicespodcast.com

Alliance of Women Filmmakers is proud to partner with Women Voices Now to present this podcast. 

Their annual film festival promotes emerging women filmmakers using social-change films to advocate for women’s and girls’ rights around the world.For more information about WVN including their film selection process please visit The Women's Voices Now Online Film Festival

Editing by Otaku Media