Cascadia Poetics LAB
Poetry Postcard Fest
Watershed Press
Cascadian Prophets Podcast
Cascadia Poetry Festival 8

Interview with Brainwashed Director Nina Menkes

November 8, 2022
Ryukan

Why are only 8% of Hollywood movies produced by women, down from 9% 20 years ago? One Hollywood film-maker says the “male gaze” reinforced by a camera angle formula and a subject-object dynamic creates an industry rife with employment discrimination and sexual abuse and assault. That film-maker is Nina Menkes, the Producer and Director of Brainwashed: Sex Camera Power. The movie is showing now in select theaters and it is both disturbing and compelling, as well as uplifting.

Called “Brilliant, one of the most provocative artists in film today,” by The L.A. Times, and a “Cinematic Sorceress” by The New York Times, Menkes’ films synthesize inner dreamworlds with brutal outer realities. Her work has shown widely in major international film festivals, including Sundance, the Berlinale and Toronto and New York Film Festivals.

It a pleasure to chat with Nina Menkes, who loved my depiction of her cinematic argument as having been conducted with “litigious zeal.” Listen to the latest Cascadian Prophets podcast below.

2 Comments

  1. Daniel L. Smith

    Great interview, Paul! Studying film as a male undergrad, I nonetheless made the connection between flesh and film in part because of the female instructor’s insistence, and a mutual, comprehensive limerence, and her encouragement of my tender, young, immature writing. We also studied in those troubled late sixties essays like “Student as Nigger” and others ignorant of the “visual rhetoric” of discrimination and abuse that markedly changed me and so many others. . .forever walking away from film in 1969.

  2. Shawna Swetech

    I hadn’t heard of this movie before, and can’t wait until it premieres in my area. Thank you for this great interview, Paul.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

dashed cool colors line

You May Also Like

CPF8 Sunday!

CPF8 Sunday!

CPF8 Sunday Schedule The 8th Cascadia Poetry Festival begins TOMORROW! We can't wait to celebrate poetry and place in Cascadia with everyone! Gold Passes are still available, so if haven't registered yet, or if you know someone that would be interested in joining us...

CPF8 Sunday!

CPF8 Saturday Breakout Activities!

CPF8 Saturday Breakout Sessions On Saturday, Nov. 2 from 12-2, Cascadia Poetry Festival participants will get to participate in multiple breakout sessions at the Hugo House! During this time, organizations from Seattle and the Cascadia bioregion will also be selling...

Cascadia Unfiltered

Cascadia Unfiltered

Cascadia Unfiltered, the CPF8 After Party! On Saturday, Nov 2 at 10 PM PDT, the 8th Cascadia Poetry Festival afterparty Cascadia Unfiltered will be hosted by poets Greg Bem and Nadine Maestas! The party will feature readings from 18 incredible Cascadian poets,...