Thanks to a member of my Subud spiritual community, I was alerted to a new documentary about gender relations in Hollywood and a thesis by a director that says the “visual rhetoric” of camera angles contributes to the objectification of women in Hollywood, along with job discrimination and sexual abuse and harassment. Nina Menkes is also a Subud member and prosecutes her case with a religious zeal. Here is the trailer of Brainwashed:

Here is my introduction:

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.

Here is the video version of my interview, which is also a Cascadian Prophets podcast episode:

From Nina:

More Cascadian Prophets interviews here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ny9nQOMF7F438vRSKwLzQ?si=cc1b271cc84a4a4a