Life Imitates Art in Gay Mockumentary

Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-director Alison Reid /Lee Hyo-won photo

Imagine a world where children are fatherless in the procreative process. In the mockumentary ``The Baby Formula,’’ a lesbian couple succeeds in conceiving children of its own genetic mix.

The film’s notion of creating fake sperms from a woman’s skin particle, however, isn’t completely outlandish. ``Baby’’ is the classic mix of fiction and reality.

``The science is actually accurate and was successful in tests with mice. The (actresses’) pregnancy was real, too,’’ Alison Reid, the veteran Hollywood stuntwoman-turned-director, told The Korea Times in a recent interview. The Canadian filmmaker has been touring the festival circuit with her feature film debut, and was in town for the 11th International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS).

``Until recently, it has been impossible for gay couples to conceive of the idea of being able to combine their genetics and have their own biological children. That has always struck me as sad. When I read an article about some science that made it possible to create offspring from two female mice, it resonated with me, and inspired me to make this film,’’ Reid said in a statement.

The director spoke with scientists all over the world involved in the research. ``For the purposes of the story, we have assumed that the science is further along than it is in real life, however the scientific explanations are accurate. This scientific backdrop becomes a pallet for a story that is ultimately about family, and the common ground facing us all despite our diversity,’’ she said.

``Succubus,’’ the short prequel to ``Baby’’ that was screened at last year’s IWFFIS, traced the efforts of the same two characters, Athena and Lileth, to have their own biological child. Interestingly enough, both actresses became pregnant _ though happily married to men in real life, they conceived children in the traditional way. The film assumes that such lesbian mothers can only have daughters, and both actresses gave birth to the baby girls that appear in the movie.

``Life was imitating art,’’ said the director. ``We were able to take advantage of the pregnancy and show the 10-month period and the real babies at the end. When we were rehearsing the scene where Athena’s water breaks, Angela Vint (who plays Athena) actually had her water break,’’ she said.

The science may be stranger than fiction, but the movie’s utter believability shines through. Effervescent characters drawn in viewers into the story, which has no male bashing, ``feminazism.’’ In ``Baby,’’ two geek stem cell specialists claim that their breakthrough scientific experiment is not trying to ``make men obsolete’’ but rather simply render them ``unnecessary.’’ One day, women may become unnecessary in procreation, they add.

``The film is done in a non-threatening way so people wouldn’t be putt off by it,’’ said Reid. The delightful, ticklishly funny mockumentary drew packed screenings in Seoul, and one middle-aged male audience member found the story pleasantly surprising despite the fact that he came from ``a different generation.’’

The warm reception is great, said Reid, but she was actually hoping for a little negativity. ``Right wing protesters would be good PR for the film,’’ she said, smiling. The director hopes to start a TV series starring the same actors.

Will her next feature film be another dramedy? ``No, it won’t be as funny,’’ she said. But it will involve a love triangle set inside, rather appropriately for the stunt speicialist, ``a crazy, extreme stunt world.’’

Reid coordinated stunt sequences in major Hollywood films such as ``Blindness’’ and doubled for Monica Bellucci in ``Shoot ‘Em Up.’’ She said she vigorously pursued the ``excitement and the adrenaline’’ ever since doing her first stunt when she was 17. Getting caught in explosions and car crash sequences ``had its moments,’’ including neck and knee injuries and burns, but provided insight into the world of directing.

For more information about ``Baby,’’ visit thebabyformulamovie.com.

The IWFFIS comes to a close today. The closing ceremony at 7 p.m. at Artreon in Sinchon will feature the award-winning films of the Asian Short Film & Video Competition. Visit http://www.wffis.or.kr/.

See the World Through Women’s Eyes

The world’s largest women’s film event kicks off Thursday, featuring over 100 films from 23 countries until April 16. The 11th edition of the International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS) invites people of all ages and gender orientations to reexamine the world through female perspectives.

``Half-Life’’ (U.S.A.) will open the festival Thursday evening at Artreon in Sinchon, northern Seoul. Recently featured at the Sundance Film Festival, it is about a sister and brother’s reaction to their father’s desertion and the presence of their mother’s new, very young boyfriend. Asian American director Jennifer Phang will take part in the festival as a jury member in the competition section.

Moviegoers can also look forward to the world premiere of ``The Time of Our Lives,’’ which was made with funds from last year’s Documentary Ock Rang Film Award. This film documents the 14-day election campaign of Choi Hyun-sook, the first openly lesbian candidate who ran for the National Assembly.

There are films featuring youthful effeverence, such as ``The Cherry Road – Blossoming’’ (Japan) and ``Rain’’ (Bahamas), which was featured in the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. ``Rain's'' director, Maria Govan, will visit Korea for the occasion.

The festival also explores aging. One recommended piece is the documentary ``Maverick Mother’’ (Australia). Sick of waiting for the perfect partner, a 39-year-old filmmaker decides to become a single mom through artificial insemination. While waiting for the procedure, however, she becomes impregnated after dating a Swiss man. The director, Janet Merewether, will visit Seoul with her son.

Other special guests visiting from afar include Alison Reid, a Hollywood stuntwoman who directed ``The Baby Formula,’’ which will be screened in the Queer Rainbow section. The festival programmer recommends this ``funny, fake sci-fi documentary’’ about a lesbian couple that conceives their own biological child through groundbreaking scientific technology.

The winners of the Asian Short Film & Video Competition will close the festival. This year, more than 200 films from 12 countries were submitted and 18 finalists will compete. Among the contenders is a piece directed by Song Fang, the actress who starred opposite Juliette Binoche in Hou Hsiau-hsien’s ``The Red Balloon.’’

The festival also spotlights marginalized women. In addition to the film section Women’s Labor and Poverty, a forum on the subject will take place April 14 at Ewha Womans University. Another section, Media Workshop for Women Migrants, features eight pieces by foreign women living in Korea.

A day care center will be open for mothers throughout the festival. Visit http://www.wffis.or.kr/ (Korean and English) or call (02) 583-3098~9 for more information.

To learn more about the festiva, read my interview last year with the festival director Lee Hyae-kyoung.

Seoul Women's Film Fest Marks 10 Years

The International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS) celebrates a decade of upholding the female spirit and creativity by offering 141 films from 30 countries, April 10-18.

The world’s largest and most successful film event for women, IWFFIS has been a playground for women cineastes. But over the years, it grew to become a form of ``cultural movement’’ that explores feminine questions in larger context, as an important fiber of the social fabric.

Festival director Lee Hyae-kyoung (right/Korea Times Photo by Shim Hyun-chul) met with The Korea Times last week to discuss what it means to ``see the world through women’s eyes.’’

``Film theorist Laura Mulvey said the camera services male viewpoints and caters to their desires by objectifying females as an object of desire,’’ she said. ``The women’s film festival is not unrelated with the feminist movement. We aim to answer questions about how it would be to view the world driven by female desires and perspectives

``It also goes beyond women’s issues and fathoms what the female perspective means within the context of human and even non-human concerns, and what role it plays in creating new social systems and cultures,’’ she said.

Launched in 1997 as a humble biannual event, the film festival grew steadily. Unlike most festivals, IWFFIS is not state-funded, though it now receives generous support from the government. But whether it was small or big, the festival was always very popular, garnering an average of over 90 percent viewership for screenings _ rare for any given film event in the world. This is phenomenal considering that it caters to a largely female audience.

``Our aim is to instill in women confidence, nurturing the soul for a year until the next festival. It’s true we began as a separatist festival for women, with the female audience and filmmakers at the core. But we remained open and aimed to influence society as a simultaneous separatist and mainstreaming efforts,’’ she said.

Today, the female-male audience ratio is about 6:4. The festival is making efforts to expand to a wider audience in terms of age range. For moms, a day care center is prepared.

And in the spirit of opening up, the 10th edition of the festival features ``Open Cinema,’’ a lineup of works by male directors. ``Biological differences aren’t so important, male directors can treat women’s issues with a keen eye, while female directors can make action movies,’’ she said.

``Open Cinema is something we’ve been thinking of since our 4th edition of the festival. By opening up to males, we’re not losing our focus on women. It’s a sign of our openness and toleration, confidence and desire to communicate with a larger audience,’’ said Lee.

``While the festival retains a focus on women and social minorities, it also functions to a source of creativity and new, alternative values. If our efforts have thus far been geared to making things plausible and collective, we want our festival to help feminist values and philosophies to become a principal part of society,’’ she said.

``As society and values evolve, a women’s film festival does not have to disappear. It will continue to offer a unique perspective, not only in the context of Korean society but within Asia and in the world,’’ she said.

IWFFIS created the Berlin Asian Women’s Film Festival, which was launched last fall, and also collaborates with the festival in Chennai, India. While there are about 20 women’s cinema events in Europe, including the 30-year-old Creteil in France, and others in Asia, the Seoul festival is leading the pack.

What does it mean to ``see the world through women’s eyes’’? ``It’s hard to say in words,’’ said Lee, suggesting movies say more than a thousand words. She says one should watch at least five films to truly savor a festival.

``The themes vary, from dealing with sexual violence to postnatal depression, or it can have no theme at all. It can be very delicate or very violent. But in all, our festival allows women to express suppressed feelings and experiences in modern society. Most of all, it’s about creating alternative values in a post-modern society,’’ she said.