UALR Public Radio, The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN), and William F. Laman Library invite the public to a free advance screening of “Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines” as part of Community Cinema Tuesday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m.
ABOUT THE FILM
"Wonder Women” traces the evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the creation of the comic book heroine in the 1940s to today’s blockbusters, this documentary explores how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society’s anxieties about women’s liberation. The film goes behind the scenes with television stars Lynda Carter (“Wonder Woman”) and Lindsay Wagner (“The Bionic Woman”), in addition to interviewing comic writers and artists and real-life superheroines – including Gloria Steinem and Kathleen Hanna – who offer an enlightening and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated superhero genre.
Exploring how a highly visual culture places greater emphasis on girls’ and women’s appearance rather than on their contributions, “Wonder Women” urges women to claim the action genre and media in general as their own in order to change how their gender is represented. Tying the film together is the groundbreaking figure of Wonder Woman, the unlikely brainchild of a Harvard-trained pop psychologist named William Moulton Marston. From Wonder Woman’s original, radical World War II presence, to her uninspiring 1960s incarnation as a fashion boutique owner, to her dramatic resurrection by feminist Steinem and the women of Ms. Magazine, Wonder Woman’s legacy continues today – despite the fact that she has yet to make it to the big screen.
ABOUT THE SCREENING AND COMMUNITY DISCUSSION
The screening will be held in the auditorium of William F. Laman Public Library, 2801 Orange Street, North Little Rock. A community discussion will follow the screening.
http://vimeo.com/36060144
MORE INFORMATION
Community Cinema, a free monthly screening series engaging communities through films produced by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), features monthly screenings followed by panel discussions with leading organizations, local communities and special guest speakers. The program is designed to help people learn about and get involved in the social issues raised in the documentaries.