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P R E S S K I T A F E A T U R E D O C U M E N T A R Y C E L E B R A T I N G T H E L E G A C Y O F T H E B O L D W O M E N O F T H E W O M E N ’ S L I B E R A T I O N M O V E M E N T W H O R E - I G N I T E D T H E F E M I N I S T R E V O L U T I O N I N A U S T R A L I A . Written and Directed by Catherine Dwyer Produced by Philippa Campey and Andrea Foxworthy Executive Produced by Sue Maslin | Edited by Rosie Jones Distributed by Film Art Media International Women’s Day March, Sydney, 1975 Photo by Anne Roberts courtesy Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales and SEARCH Foundation. COMING SOON TO CINEMAS brazenhussies.com.au LOG LINE A feature documentary celebrating the legacy of the bold women of the Women’ s Liberation Movement who re-ignited the feminist revolution in Australia. SHORT SYNOPSIS BRAZEN HUSSIES reveals a revolutionary chapter in Australian history, the Women's Liberation Movement (1965 -1975). Interweaving freshly uncovered archival footage, personal photographs, memorabilia and lively personal accounts from activists, BRAZEN HUSSIES shows us how a daring and diverse group of women joined forces to defy the status quo, demand equality and create profound social change - contributing to one of the greatest social movements of the 20th Century. SYNOPSIS "It was one of those epoch-breaking periods that can only be sustained briefly but, within which, everything is born." SUZANNE BELLAMY BRAZEN HUSSIES introduces contemporary audiences to the Australian second wave feminists, who declared war on ‘male chauvinism’, traditional sex roles and demanded that women be set free from the ‘chains of femininity’. This feature documentary traces how the Australian Women’s Liberation Movement was born amidst the tumultuous politics of the 1960s, influenced by the anti-war, anti-imperialist, and civil rights movements worldwide. The film combines a treasure trove of startling archive footage with interviews from key activists from around Australia. From its first stirrings in Brisbane in 1965 to its controversial incursions into the Whitlam government from 1973 to 1975, the film shows how women began organising around issues such as equal pay, reproductive rights, affordable childcare, and the prevention of family violence and rape. As the story unfolds, these issues go from being dismissed as the outrageous demands of a few “brazen hussies’’ to becoming crucial elements on the platforms of Australia’s major political parties. From the radical arm of the ‘Women’s Libbers’ to the reform-focused groups such as the Women’s Electoral Lobby, BRAZEN HUSSIES shows the diversity of women involved, and the collective power it took to achieve change. The film explores how ASIO spied on the movement, the pushback by the male-dominated media, and the impact of internal struggles within the movement. Tensions emerge over the inclusion of lesbians and the relevance of the movement to Aboriginal women. These struggles are laid bare to show how the activities of a small group of determined women grew into a huge social movement and ultimately changed the lives and opportunities of ALL women. By going back in time, BRAZEN HUSSIES reveals how the changes demanded by these women 50 years ago, have paved the way for where feminism finds itself today. While the landscape, breadth and diversity of feminism is vastly different today – without this movement and the changes it achieved, we wouldn’t be where we are now. Recording and celebrating this important history, offers a valuable opportunity to reassess and discuss where we are at as a society, what gains have been made, what is at risk and where we are headed. While the struggle is far from over, women and girls today will be inspired by the pioneering efforts of those who came before them and changed the world forever. ABOUT THE FILM BRAZEN HUSSIES was initiated by Catherine Dwyer, inspired by her years in New York working on the acclaimed feature documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (directed by Mary Dore). Catherine returned to Australia in 2015 to screen the film here at MIFF, and with a mission to discover Australia’s own history of the Women’s Liberation Movement. From our first meetings in early 2016, we have worked together through countless pitching proposals, meetings, development rounds and re- writes. All the while Catherine was researching the history of women’s liberation in Australia. With development investment from Film Victoria in mid-2016, Catherine began connecting with historians, academics, authors, and activists in her research into the movement. With an almost encyclopaedic memory and nous for personal detail, Catherine then crafted a first draft of the feature documentary script. Acclaimed script editor Annette Blonski then joined the team as we developed the film proposal further. Throughout this time, Producer Andrea Foxworthy has been shaping and driving our philanthropic fundraising. In 2018 we launched a three minute ‘teaser’ to kickstart our crowdfunding campaign. To our astonishment it was enthusiastically embraced and promoted via independent cinemas around Australia. Later that year Andrea was selected for Creative Partnership Australia’s coveted ‘Match Lab’ seminars, that culminated in the project raising over $26,000 through CPA and Australian Cultural Fund’s matched funding scheme. Andrea also participated in Documentary Australia Foundation’s StoryWorks lab in October 2019. To date, the film has secured the support of over 500 philanthropic donors, raising over $134,000 via fundraising events and individual donors from all over Australia giving amounts ranging from $5 to $10,000! We interpreted this enthusiasm for the project as an indication that it was beyond time for the stories from this era to be profiled. The process of documenting this near-forgotten chapter of Australian social and political history has resulted in us gathering over 4,000 photographs, journals, artworks, and posters and over 800 news clips, documentaries and dramatic films. We interviewed over 25 women and will ensure this archive is preserved for the future. ABOUT THE FILM (CONT) We were determined to make the film with a predominantly female identifying or non-binary crew. This included most of our cinematographers, sound recordists, and editing assistants, our researchers, interns, composer, sound designer, animator, editor and colourist. As we neared the end of the post-production, like everybody else, we were hampered by the global pandemic. The need to suddenly work remotely from each other over the past 5 months has brought its own challenges – not least of which was securing precious archive masters from locked away libraries from the many sources around the country. Collaborating creatively over the internet is not simple, but with the generosity and patience of all of our team, the investors and the contributors, we have a finished film we are proud of. This film is the story of a generation of women who are now ageing. During the process of production, we have sadly lost a few heroines, too soon. BRAZEN HUSSIES is conceived and produced by women who are daughters of this second wave. We have all benefited directly from the rights they fought so hard for – at great personal cost. We hope that this film – our contribution to the cause - will help to inspire the generations behind us. Without documenting a version of women’s liberation history – there’s a chance the whole story will be lost. Over the long duration of this production – almost 5 years – we have witnessed a shift in Australia’s positioning of feminism. Since Julia Gillard’s infamous Misogyny speech in 2013, we’ve seen the rise of the #metoo movement. We’ve witnessed debates between the younger generation of feminists and the second wave women about approaches, gender identity and intersectionality. All of these changes signal a shift that we hope BRAZEN HUSSIES helps to invigorate and support. We hope this film can act as a clarion call that invites discussion, progresses the debate, and ultimately aids the societal change that can improve the lives of all Australians. CATHERINE DWYER DIRECTOR & WRITER First time Director, Catherine Dwyer, was inspired to make a film about the history of the Women’s Movement in Australia through her experience working as Associate Producer – Post Production, Researcher and Assistant Editor on Mary Dore’s critically acclaimed and award winning documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (2014) - the story of the US Women’s Liberation Movement. Catherine was the Impact Producer on Freedom Stories (dir. Steven Thomas 2016), a documentary that explores the achievements and stories of former ‘boat people’ who arrived in Australian waters seeking asylum. Catherine has also directed and edited music videos and shorts. ANDREA FOXWORTHY PRODUCER Andrea Foxworthy is an experienced Producer and Production Manager based in Melbourne. At Sensible Films she coordinated post-production of the CinéfestOZ prize-winning Putaparri and the Rainmakers and worked with Impact Producer Julianne Deeb on the festival and impact campaign for the film. In 2010 Andrea first discovered the chutzpa of the second wave activists of the Australian Women’s Movement, when she produced On Her Shoulders (2011) for UN Women, to commemorate the centenary of International Women’s Day. On Her Shoulders was nominated for an ATOM Award (Best Short Documentary), won ‘Best Short’ at the 2011 La Mirada Film Festival, screened at Revelation Perth International Film Festival, was broadcast on ABC TV, distributed to Australian High Schools and has had over 100,600 YouTube views.

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