Little Art Theatre

Documentary. 50 minutes. Not Rated. 1971.

Synopsis for Growing Up Female:
FREE ADMISSION • Donations to the Little Art Appreciated

Filmmakers Julia Reichert & Jim Klein will be present for Q & A.

"As students in the late 1960s at Antioch College, Julia Reichert and Jim Klein made a feature film about the experience of being female that both rode the modern wave of the feminist movement, and, they believed, helped root the feminist cause in the American consciousness at the time. That is among the reasons the film, Growing Up Female, was chosen last month for inclusion in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry, an honor it shares with 574 other American films."—Yellow Springs News

Growing Up Female is the very first film of the modern women's movement. Produced in 1971, it caused controversy and exhilaration. It was widely used by consciousness-raising groups to generate interest and help explain feminism to a skeptical society. The film looks at female socialization through a personal look into the lives of six women, age 4 to 35, and the forces that shape them—teachers, counselors, advertising, music and the institution of marriage. It offers us a chance to see how much has changed—and how much remains the same. Purchased by more than 400 universities and libraries.

"One of those painful experiences that's good for you. The film shows how females are brainwashed into passivity, mental sluggishness and self contempt. I wish every high school kid in America could see this film."—Susan Sontag

"A true and piercing look at American womanhood"—Gloria Steinem

"The film that first aired on PBS during the early '70s continues to help American women openly discuss the true meaning of feminism and what it's like growing up female in a culture still overwhelmed with conflicting sexual stereotypes. Six girls and women between the ages of four and 35 talk about the cultural institutions, advertising, and role models that are influencing their efforts to achieve various goals."— Elizabeth Smith, Rovi

AWARDS & SCREENINGS:
National Special, PBS Television Network

Shot in the Spring of 1970 in Yellow Springs, Xenia and Springfield, this film is preceded by a short titled Up Against the Wall Miss America. This short, created in 1969, is 9 minutes long and was created by the women of Newsreel.