From the Back of the Room presented by Film Fatales

2011, 105 minutes
USA, Canada

Presented by: Amy Oden

Director: Amy Oden

Cast: Interview Subjects Include: Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, Le Tigre), Slade (Tribe 8), and Chris Boarts-Larson (Slug and Lettuce)

Many people have the impression that the Riot Grrrl movement in the mid-90s was the end-all, be-all of female involvement in DIY punk. This is definitely not the case! Plenty of amazing ladies prior to this era paved the way for it, and plenty of amazing ladies continue to help keep DIY together today. This documentary chronicles the past 30 years of female involvement in DIY punk, and has interviews with over 30 women from across the country, ages 17 to 40. Race, gender, sexuality, motherhood, class, and activism are all addressed in this film, giving a more complete picture of how these women participate in the DIY community, and how it affects their daily lives.

Director Bio: Amy Oden lived in New York until age 10, when her family moved to the DC metro region. In 1996, at age 15, she started attending local shows and getting involved in the D.I.Y. community. She got her Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism at the University of Maryland and her Masters Degree in Women’s Studies at George Washington University. She worked as a Producer at MHz Networks until 2011 and has toured nationally and internationally with bands since 2005.

About Film Fatales: Film Fatales is a diverse community of women filmmakers who meet regularly to mentor each other, share resources, collaborate on projects and build a supportive environment in which to make their films.

“Enlightening, instructive, and sobering”
— The Boston Globe

“An exhaustive, diverse, and thoughtful meditation on women in the punk community”
— Washington City Paper