NYWIFT Blog

Seven Women Sevens Sins: An Exceptional Collaboration of ’80s Indie Women Directors

By Kirsten Larvick

Made as part of series for German Television (ZDF) in 1986, Seven Women Seven Sins, proved to be an exceptional collaboration of 1980’s independent #DirectedByWomen cinema.

Representing five countries, the film explores the seven deadly Biblical sins through the inspired eyes of seven women filmmakers (five from Europe, two from the U.S.).

 

 

Working in various disciplines, each director was offered creative freedom to interpret their capital vice of choice.

Both quirky and innovative, the omnibus that is Seven Women Seven Sins brought together Chantel Akerman’s Sloth, Maxi Cohen’s Anger, Valie Export’s Lust, Laurence Gavron’s Envy, Bette Gordon’s Greed, Ulrike Ottinger’s Pride, and Helke Sander’s Gluttony, to consider the individual sins through distinctly different approaches.

Interpretations range from Sander’s take on gluttony in a re-imagining of Adam & Eve in a hyper-stylized Garden of Eden set as a depiction of modern male/female relationships, to Cohen’s provocative non-actor interviews mined from actual responses to a Village Voice ad. Both the hysterical and deeply disturbing emerge when Cohen invites everyday people to reveal on camera what churns below the surface. Gordon presents greed as a noir tale brought to life (and death) between to ladies in a women’s lounge. And only the beloved Ackerman can insert herself into the story of an artist’s struggle against sloth, and leave you wanting more.

Though each ZDF segment was produced separately, the episodic, Seven Women Seven Sins that broadcast within the regular series Das Kleine Fernsehspiel was a true collaborative effort. But it was Cohen who helmed the film version, which joined the sins into a 101-minute film, living on to receive festival honors worldwide.

Seven Women Seven Sins is a rare uniting these seven iconoclastic independent women artists under a stirring theme that encouraged adventurous storytelling. Looking at this work today in the context of 1980s cinema and what the individual artists were exploring (as well as their peers Lizzie Borden, Sara Driver, Susan Seidelman, Mira Nair, Sally Potter, and others), it’s clear that this period enjoyed great creative courage.

 

Come September 26th and September 27th, 2018, The Quad will show Seven Women Seven Sins. Don’t miss Cohen and Gordon’s post-screening Q&A on the 26th.

For tickets and information visit https://quadcinema.com/film/seven-women-seven-sins/

The Women’s Film Preservation Fund awarded a grant to this unique contribution to the art of cinema, but because of the varied formats of film and video that were used, and other complexities, it’s a more expensive preservation than originally estimated. It is essential to our film record to save works by these important women makers. Though copies of the film are around, the remaining materials are at risk. To help support the preservation of Seven Women Seven Sins, please consider support today. Visit https://www.nywift.org/donate/donate-to-the-wfpf/.

 

 

PUBLISHED BY

womens film preservation fund

womens film preservation fund The Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) is the only program in the world dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of women in the industry through preserving American-made films by women. Founded in 1995 by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), WFPF has preserved nearly 150 American films in which women have played key creative roles.

View all posts by womens film preservation fund

Leave a Reply

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

*

*

*

Related Posts

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Christy Veeder

Welcome to our new NYWIFT Member, Christy Veeder! Christy is a screenwriter, former climate scientist, and erstwhile bureaucrat whose first major work of fiction, a personal interpretation of The Dark Crystal, was written in response to not being allowed to see Jim Henson’s fantasy epic in the theater with her other third grade friends. But what Christy really loves is 30-minute comedy and the ways in which it can illuminate our hopes, defang our fears, and help us keep going in this thing called life. Christy’s screenplays culminate a career spanning years of editing and writing about the culinary arts, publishing academic journal articles, handing out coupons at the Port Authority while dressed as a box of cough syrup, impersonating celebrity cats on Twitter, and drafting federal legislation in the U.S. Senate – all of which have been rich preparation for the process of creating worlds on the page. Christy discusses her diverse career background, her experience as a writer, and how she first got into the field.  

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Guneet K. Singh

Welcome to NYWIFT, Guneet K. Singh! Former NYWIFT intern Guneet K. Singh is a producer and writer with a passion for diverse storytelling. She was most recently the producer for the poignant play, Irreparable, which premiered at the Act One One-Act Theater Festival. She has worked in television development for NBC and Peacock, working on programs such as That’s My Jam, Password, Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy and 5 More Sleeps ‘Til Christmas. Her first producing role was as the Digital Producer for the Emmy nominated The Kids Tonight Show. She began her career as an NBC Page, working on shows like Saturday Night Live and The TODAY Show. In our interview, Guneet discusses her exciting time in NBC’s legendary Page Program, the power of networking, and finding her calling as a writer and producer.

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Monique Gabriela Curnen

Welcome to NYWIFT, Monique Gabriela Curnen! Monique Gabriela Curnen is an actor and producer known for a string of critical and commercial successes, including Half Nelson, The Dark Knight, Contagion and Birth/Rebirth. While working with Warrington Hudlin at the Black Filmmaker Foundation, she started producing short films. She continued producing independently, including the Joe Holt short Noël, which sold to ShortsHD. She served as executive producer on the award-winning feature documentary, A Run For More (PBS, Amazon) directed by Ray Whitehouse. She’s currently in development on the narrative feature Sheila & the Punk Rock, written and directed by K. Lorrel Manning. Monique discusses the roots of her career, her experience working on large-scale productions, and how she overcomes challenges within these realms. Get to know her in our latest interview!

READ MORE

Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Sonia Malfa

Let's give a warm welcome to new NYWIFT member Sonia Malfa! Inspired by nature and myth, Sonia Malfa is a writer/director who creates visually poetic films that draw from her Puerto Rican-American roots. From music video and commercials to documentary and narrative film, her directing work has been featured in Tribeca Festival, AdAge, Vogue Italia, and won both Webby and Clio Awards. Sonia is currently in development on her narrative feature debut, It's Always Sunni, which was selected for the Gotham Project Market and Film Independent’s Fast Track. Most recently, Sonia was selected for the NALIP/Netflix Woman of Color Film Incubator and the Actors Studio Directors Unit. In our interview, Sonia discusses her deep connection to nature, commercial projects, the importance of creative community, and her road trip film - with a twist!

READ MORE
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
css.php