I Am Independent - Beyond Mainstream: 7 Women Film Directors

Propaganda, 2021, Hardcover, 348 pages, 19 × 12 cm

“I am pretty certain that none of these seven women were even aware that their work would be reckoned a landmark. However, from the current perspective, they experimented with new cinematic formats… They did not fear discussing taboos and controversies. They empathised with the marginalised. By doing so, they laid the groundwork for important moments in film history.” The eye-opening speculation by Sung Moon, programmer of the JEONJU International Film Festival in South Korea, in her foreword frames this book’s focus on the films made by Cecilia Mangini, Han Okhi, Albertina Carri, Barbara Loden, Cheryle Dunye, Anna Karina, and Forough Farrokhzad.

I am Independent – Beyond Mainstream: 7 Women Film Directors is a compilation of seven reviews by seven women writers from all over the world. Each of the reviews focused on a female independent filmmaker. Contributors to this volume include internationally renowned writers such as Nicole Brenez (professor of Film Studies at the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle), Daniela Persico (film critic and programmer of Locarno International Film Festival), Devika Girish (writer, editor, and programmer of New York Film Festival), and Lucía Salas (film critic) as well as three Korean writers Jiha Kim (cinematheque programmer at Asian Culture Center), Lee Ji-hyun (film critic), and Sung Moon (programmer of JEONJU IFF). All reviews are in Korean and English for international readers.