NASHVILLE, TN — Strong Leads Docs, a five-part seminar for high school girls (Mondays, Oct. 22 – Nov. 19); Exploring Womanhood in Horror, From Bad Seeds to Hysterical Hags (Thursday, Oct. 25); Scary Good Screenwriting (Saturday, Oct. 27). “October at the Belcourt is a celebration of documentary and horror, so I’m thrilled to present a slate of seminars to turn it up a notch.” said Allison Inman, the Belcourt education and engagement director. “Since we first launched Strong Leads program for high school girls in 2016, I’ve wanted to offer a documentary unit, and this selection is fantastically diverse yet complementary…”
Strong Leads Docs: A Film Seminar for High School Girls is a five-part after-school seminar spotlighting documentary films about and made by women. A presentation of the Belcourt’s education and engagement program, Strong Leads will explore landmark and new documentaries made by women and featuring girls and women from a range of cultures and backgrounds. Sessions take place each Monday from Oct. 22 to Nov. 19, 4-7:30 p.m. The seminar is designed for students only and is meant to be taken in its entirety (no single sessions).
The seminar WORDS CAUGHT IN MY THROAT will take place on three Saturdays, October 27, November 3 and November 10 at the Belcourt Theatre. Girls will engage in creative writing exercises that result in personal narrative poems. Designed to boost black female voices on both sides of the camera and provide an opportunity for African American girls to view and discuss films featuring girls and women of color, discuss the way identity is portrayed in film, and recognize their potential as storytellers. A black female film crew will be on hand to capture footage of the girls performing their poems, which will later be used in a short film. belcourt.org/strongleads
The seminar Exploring Womanhood in Horror, From Bad Seeds to Hysterical Hags, Thursday, Oct. 25, 7-9 p.m., offers the opportunity to engage in critical discussions regarding the role of feminism in horror and exploitation as well as cinema’s ability to heighten awareness and effect social change. Despite the horror genre’s reputation for being trivial and predictable, some feminist scholars argue that it is one of the most influential and socially relevant categories in cinema, particularly in terms of studying gender. The seminar will be led by Lisa Williams, a lecturer of English and women’s studies at Middle Tennessee State University and writing studio director at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film whose research includes feminist film theory and horror film studies. Tickets are $25 ($20 for Belcourt members) and are available at belcourt.org/womanhoodinhorror
The seminar Scary Good Screenwriting, Saturday, Oct. 27, 3-6 p.m., will explore screenwriting’s impact on some of the most iconic scenes in the horror genre, with particular emphasis on Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO and Jennifer Kent’s THE BABADOOK. Participants will break down these films’ structures and and complete their own writing exercises. This seminar will be presented by Diana Grisanti and Stephen Moulds, writing collaborators (and spouses) who have recently been writers-in-residence in Vanderbilt’s cinema and media arts program and who have authored numerous plays and television pilots. Tickets are $35 ($30 for Belcourt members) and can be purchased at belcourt.org/scarygoodscreenwriting
