Film Across Borders: Brazen, a series of short animated films

Brazen, series of 16 animated short films, directed by Mai Nguyen and Charlotte Cambon De La Valette, 45 min, 2020 + panel discussions.

The portraits of 16 women, each revolutionary in their own way.

Brazen is a series adapted from the bestselling comic books Culottées by Pénélope Bagieu (Gallimard 2016), first published online on Le Monde.fr, which has since been translated into 19 languages in 27 countries with over 550 000 copies sold worldwide (France, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New-Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, USA). The portraits of 16 women, each revolutionary in their own way. 16 women who wrote their own destinies and changed the world! Lighthouse keeper, astronaut, empress, animal interpreter, crime miniaturist… whoever they were and wherever they came from, those Brazen ladies were out to tear down prejudice and bring energy and hope.

Before the screenings of the Films Across Borders movies at La Maison Française, we will be offering a short film shown in virtual reality between 6:00 and 7:00 pm! Lifeline by Victor Michelot (WIDE VR) tells the familiar story of the moment you fall in love. Our virtual reality equipment takes this narrative to another level, which we are so excited to add to our event. 

LINEUP – General presentation and moderation by Dr. Isabel Rivero-Vila, Senior Professorial Lecturer in French, Department of World Languages and Cultures, American University

Part 1: Leymah Gbowee ; Naziq al-Abid ; Katia Krafft ; Tove Jansson ; Mae Jemison’s short movies (15 minutes) 

First panel discussion with Howard and American University students (15 minutes)

Part 2: Josephine Baker ; Lozen ; Cheryl Bridges ; Annette Kellerman ; Christine Jorgensen’s’s short movies (15 minutes)

Second Panel discussion with Howard and American University students (15 minutes) 

Part 3: Nzinga ; Frances Glessner Lee ; Phulan Devi ; Peggy Guggenheim ; Hedy Lamarr ; Delia Akeley’s short movies (15 minutes)

Third panel discussion with Howard and American University students (15 minutes)

The American University in partnership with the Embassy of France is delighted to present the 2021 Films Across Borders film series. Films Across Borders was launched in 2014 to raise awareness about highly relevant themes by combining international films and panel discussion with filmmakers and special guests. The festival showcases critiacally acclaimed bfilms, documentaries and short stories from around the world. Co-presented by American University in partnership with embassy cultural organizations, arts institutions and environmental groups, the series focuses on a distinctive timely and compelling theme each year.

This event is moderated by Dr. Isabel Rivero-Vilá, a Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University. She teaches French and West African cinema. Prof. Rivero-Vilá is also a filmmaker. She has filmed and produced several short documentaries and just recently, a feature film documentary about Senegalese women filmmakers. She regularly works and collaborates in various film projects with African filmmakers in Senegal.

This night we are also joined by some select panelists:

Andreya Davis: Andreya Davis is a proud native of Detroit, MI. She received her BA in English- Literature and Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from Howard University. Andreya is currently an MA student in the Department of African Studies. Her research centers on the barriers that prevent Africana women from ascending and being retained in roles of leadership across the higher education spectrum. Currently, she is the assistant dean for faith-based and community initiatives in the Office of the Dean of the Chapel at Howard. In her free time, she enjoys service-oriented projects, listening to music and critiquing anti-women ideologies.

Sarah Havdala: Sarah is a freshman at American University. She is originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas and is studying International Relations with a focus on foreign policy and national security. She is passionate about history and is especially interested in studying the contributions of Jewish women throughout the world.

Aichatou Nimaga: is a first year Master’s student at Howard University studying African Studies. She is originally from the Bronx, New York with a nationality from West Africa, Mali. She studied International Relations with a minor in Black Studies in undergrad. She is currently a Program Associate at IREX on the Young African Leaders Intitative supporting the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Her career interests include work in the philanthropic/non-profit field while researching how individuals with intersectional identities navigate and exist in society.

Miranda Rivers: is a Ph.D. student in African Studies at Howard University as well as a program specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace, where she conducts applied research on nonviolent action and its intersections with peacebuilding and democratization. Miranda has a background in journalism and prior experience working with refugee communities and teaching English as a second language.

Linda Silim Moundene: is a Ph. D. student in African Studies at Howard University, and an assistant movie producer at Delphy Production a movie company based in Paris. Her research interest are on education, especially gender-based violence in school. She has numerous experience in cultural project, exhibitions, community organization in Nantes, and also education and cultural project in Cameroon.

Rachel Zelicof: Rachel is a freshman at American University originally from Long Island, New York. She is majoring in Political Science and minoring in French with hopes of becoming a lawyer. Rachel took a Gender and Literacy course her senior year of high school which discussed women’s roles in society and how women are viewed in a patriarchal structure.