Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power (DVD)

“If the camera is predatory, then the culture is predatory.” In this eye-opening documentary, celebrated independent
filmmaker Nina Menkes explores the sexual politics of cinematic shot design. Using clips from hundreds of movies we all
know and love – from Metropolis to Vertigo to Phantom Thread – Menkes convincingly makes the argument that shot
design is gendered. Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power illuminates the patriarchal narrative codes that hide within
supposedly “classic” set-ups and camera angles, and demonstrates how women are frequently displayed as objects
for the use, support, and pleasure of male subjects. Building on the essential work of Laura Mulvey and other feminist
writers, Menkes shows how these not-so-subtle embedded messages affect and intersect with the twin epidemics of
sexual abuse and assault, as well as employment discrimination against women, especially in the film industry. The film
features interviews with an all-star cast of women and non-binary industry professionals including Julie Dash, Penelope
Spheeris, Charlyne Yi, Joey Soloway, Catherine Hardwicke, Eliza Hittman, Maria Giese, and Rosanna Arquette. The
result is an electrifying call-to-action that will fundamentally change the way you see, and watch, movies.
Audio commentary with director Nina Menkes and editor Cecily Rhett
| Isolated Excerpts of the Score by Sharon Farber
| Q&A with Nina Menkes courtesy of DCTV
| Theatrical Trailer