New Femme Film Fridays series to launch this month

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 (AUSTIN, TX) — This month, the Bullock Museum will launch a new film series called Femme Film Fridays, designed to highlight the cinematic works of women, both behind and in front of the camera. Gilda (1946) on 35mm, starring Rita Hayworth, has been selected as the premier screening for the inaugural season. It will be screened on September 23, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the museum’s Texas Spirit Theater.

The series is part of an effort that began last year to expand the museum’s film programming offered in its two theaters. Each new series addresses a prevalent subject through the context of film with the goal of expanding the breadth and depth of the Austin cinematic experience and that of film as an educational art form, according to Bullock Museum Director of Film and Theaters Josh Jacobs.

"As we increase the Bullock Museum’s cinematic programming, my goal is to utilize both the IMAX and the Spirit theaters to offer the best movie-going experience possible," Jacobs said.

Curated by Rachel Manning in the Bullock Museum film and theaters department, the new series aims to increase awareness of women’s vital contributions across all aspects of cinematic production – writing, acting, producing, editing, directing and more.

"I believe Manning’s enthusiasm and voice with the Femme series will resonate beyond gender and pretension, allowing for a forum to explore equality in cinema," Jacobs said.

The series is presented by the Bullock Museum in partnership with Austin Woman Magazine, the UT Humanities Institute and #BossBabesATX. Each program will feature an opening reception at 6 p.m. followed by a screening and Q&A hosted by a special guest.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Gilda, which was screened in competition at the first Cannes Film Festival and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2013.

In Gilda, a sinister boss of a South American casino finds out his sensuous new wife, Gilda, has a tumultuous past with his right-hand man. Gilda’s main star, Rita Hayworth (1918-1987), was an actress and dancer who first achieved fame in the 1940s. Her role in the film Only Angels Have Wings catapulted her to fame, and she later became one of Hollywood’s top actresses. Her role in Gilda made her into a cultural icon. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress and in 1999 and was acknowledged in the American Film Institute’s survey as one of the top 25 greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema.

"Women have been involved in the art of filmmaking for decades, yet few realize this, and rarely is their mark recognized and experienced fully as a cinematic contribution," Manning said. "My hope is that this series will be an outlet for all film lovers to explore the content and contribution of women to the history of movies."

Following the Gilda screening there will be a discussion and Q&A with Marjorie Baumgarten, film critic and senior editor at The Austin Chronicle, and Kathy Fuller-Seeley, William P. Hobby Professor of Communication in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas at Austin.

Other films in the Femme Film Fridays series include, Sweetie (Nov. 18, 2016), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on 35mm (Jan. 27, 2017), Enough Said (March 31, 2017), Middle of Nowhere (May 5, 2017), and Obvious Child (June 9, 2017).

The Bullock Museum cinema program maintains a full calendar of exclusive film series, special presentations, and screenings with special guests in the Texas Spirit Theater. The museum’s monthly Texas Focus Film Series explores the story of Texas through films shot in and about the state, as well as films by Austin- and Texas-based filmmakers. Held quarterly, the B Movies & Bad History Series shows some of the best (and worst) cinematic visions of Texas through unique selections introduced by experts who distinguish the historical facts and fiction on-screen.

The museum also operates the Bullock Museum IMAX® Theatre, currently under renovation for installation of the latest movie projection technology. When it reopens Oct. 7, 2016, it will be the first and only theater in the state featuring laser IMAX projection and 12-channel immersive sound. To learn more about the museum’s film programs, visit TheStoryofTexas.com.

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Support for the Bullock Museum’s exhibitions and education programs provided by the Texas State History Museum Foundation.

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​​The Bullock Texas State History Museum, a division of the State Preservation Board and an accredited institution of the American Alliance of Museums, creates experiences that educate, engage, and encourage a deeper understanding of Texas. With dynamic, award-winning exhibitions that illuminate Texas history, people, and culture, educational programming for all ages, and an IMAX® theater with a screen the size of Texas, the Museum collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, organizations, and individuals across the world to bring the Story of Texas to life. For more information, visit www.TheStoryofTexas.com or call (866)369-7108.