Working with the London’s Screen Archives, I’ve curated a programme, ‘Women in Film’, relating to London women’s representation on screen over the 20th Century. From a Suffragette march, filmed in 1910, to the election of local MP Judith Church for the borough of Dagenham in 1994, the programme covers the various portrayals of London’s women. From glamorous ‘objects’ of the male gaze, but also as sportswomen, working women, mothers, politicians and activists. I’ve been able to include material from the BFI Archive, with newsreels from the 1920s, as well as clips from Joan Littlewood’s Pleasure Reels from 1963, filmed by Walter Lassally as part of her ‘Fun Palace’ concept with Cedric Price.
I had the opportunity to present the film programme to audiences across London as part of Women’s History Month, from Barking to Hounslow, and hear the reactions and memories these films evoke.
