The Visual Language of Oppression: Harvey Wasn’t Working in a Vacuum by Nina Menkes (Image from Facebook)
On Oct. 30, filmmaker and Program in Film/Video faculty Nina Menkes published the article, The Visual Language of Oppression: Harvey Wasn’t Working in a Vacuum, in Filmmaker Magazine. Her piece, which is a preview of a talk she’s presenting at Sundance 2018, furthers the discussion of Hollywood’s mistreatment of women by arguing that the issue is not merely about who is making the films, but rather how films are being made.
Menkes writes, “An entire culture of visual language supports and encourages this system, justifying both the perpetrators’ actions and the victims’ humiliated silence. It is essential that this visual code of oppression be exposed and understood.” She continues, “Demoting half the world’s population to use-object happens not only at the level of script and narrative but within actual framing choices and lighting strategies.”
Menkes will give an in-depth talk “that exposes these cinematic techniques” at Sundance 2018. Her presentation is titled, Sex and Power: the Hidden Language of Cinema.
Read the full article, The Visual Language of Oppression: Harvey Wasn’t Working in a Vacuum, by Menkes in Filmmaker Magazine here.