Can feminism and religion coexist? This is one of the central questions that the new documentary Girls & Gods, directed by Arash T. Riahi (Free for a while) and Verena Soltiz, was launched and written by Ukrainian activist Inna Shevchenko.
The world, which premiered on March 23rd at CPH: Dox, the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, watches Shevchenko meet women with a variety of opinions and experiences, travelling to discuss women’s rights and religion. “Innashevchenko, a femen group in Ukrainian, is seeking answers to difficult questions in candid conversations with priests, imams, rabbis and other activists,” the Copenhagen festival website states.
“In a groundbreaking personal journey, Inna Shevchenko met extraordinary and inspiring women, some fighting religion, while others defending religion, and an astounding number of people began to reform religion,” says the film’s Logline. “They are all united by one belief. Women are grand. God does not take away their rights, nor do they belong to men, either in heaven or on earth.”
And it emphasizes: “The director weaves in a compelling and provocative journey, rethinking sacred iconography through a feminist lens, and inviting them to transform symbols of faith into a powerful vision of female empowerment.”
One of the most famous people who speak out in the documentary is Nadia Trokonikova, a founding member of the Cat Riot.
“The initiative to select a film to return to the need for media to go beyond the slogan and beyond the simple answer,” Shevchenko says of the Doc produced by Golden Girls Film in a joint production of AMKA Film and Wega Film. “It’s about exploring my own self-doubt as an activist after years of confronting the world with a highly defined statement. One day you’ll realize that you can’t go any further. A film with all the conversation isn’t a reflection of my behaviorism, it’s an evolution of it.”
Cat & Docs handles international sales of films.
“We had to run away from Iran for the Islamic government. They were not followers, so we lost a few families. On the other hand, we have grandparents who are followers and who do no harm to anyone,” says Riahhi. “If someone like INNA, who had radical protests and radical feminist actions, reached out to meet the progressive elements within those religions, I thought that was what we need in our current situation. We need to see the world, not just a utopian vision. We need to focus on what kind of battles are realistic. 95% of people are non-violent believers, and they just want to have a religion. “Let’s see women who are trying to change the system from within.” ”
Soltiz adds: “We have a lot of talk about our films with very open people. One of our aims was to give a voice to those who don’t get it in a film. We thought that the ‘visual opinions’ expressed by works of art were also important, and sometimes touching the heart. I wanted to give you a stage
Poets, musicians, graffiti artists, etc.
Trailer for Girls & Gods offers provocative discussions and artist previews that bring together the document to a work that will surely inspire many debates. Please see the trailer below.
