“After watching it this time I’m more convinced than ever that the only way forward for this country is the complete destruction of the structures that continually oppress the nation’s most vulnerable.” - Marya E. Gates, Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)
“As hackneyed as the phrase may be, BORN IN FLAMES is a stark, in-your-face reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same.” - Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, The Blue Lenses
Thursday, September 18, 8:45 p.m. & Wednesday, September 24, 8:30 p.m. | Ten years after New York’s so-called “social-democratic war of liberation,” feminist-run radio stations and women-led protest groups are asking questions about who is really in power. When the Black activist Adelaide Norris dies while in police custody, a diverse collective of women unite to dismantle the patriarchy, blow up the system, and emancipate the people. As funny as it is infuriating, Lizzie Borden’s scrappy, wholly independent BORN IN FLAMES is an eternally relevant cinematic primal scream. Required viewing for anyone who considers themselves an activist or an ally in the fight for collective liberation, BORN IN FLAMES is an electric and potent provocation.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Grand Prix, Créteil International Women's Film Festival
Cinema of Resistance | September 1–28, 2025
In Cinema of Resistance, we present eight films that expose the lowest moments of humanity, both real and imagined: war, corruption, cowardice, authoritarianism, and then raise high displays of bravery from movements that changed the course of history and individuals that put themselves on the line for the greater good. Join the fight from your cinema seat.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu