Thursday, September 26, 8:30 p.m. | Three years after her debut feature film LOVING COUPLES caused a scandal for its sexual content when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival (critics proclaimed Zetterling “directs like a man”), the Swedish actress and director delivered THE GIRLS, a seemingly direct response to the gendered criticism and response to her work. THE GIRLS stars Bergman regulars Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson, and Gunnel Lindblom as three actresses performing in a production of Lysistrata, who find their own lives mirrored by the “battle of the sexes” of Aristophanes’s play. Life imitates art, and all the world becomes a stage as the women fight for personal and artistic liberation. Now recognized as one of Zetterling’s most celebrated works, when THE GIRLS was released, it was reviled by critics, with Swedish journalist Bo Strömstedt describing the film’s themes as “congested menstruations” and the New York Times noting their review was “two-parts sexism and one-part film criticism.” Life imitates art again and again.

Films by Women/Chicago '74: In September 1974, at the height of the feminist movement, the Film Center hosted Films By Women/Chicago ‘74, a series of screenings, workshops, and discussions, drawing 10,000 patrons to more than 70 short and feature films by women filmmakers. This fall, we're partnering with Northwestern University’s Block Cinema to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Films by Women/Chicago ‘74. Screenings held across the two venues will revisit some of the festival’s most original and daring films and filmmakers while reflecting on the event’s enduring legacies. Read more

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