Julie Gustafson

From a white, working-class family, Gustafson came of age during the 1960s’ sexual and gender revolution. Thirty years later, as a mother, teacher and filmmaker, she found herself grappling with the still polarizing debate over teenage pregnancy, early motherhood and abortion as well as the role that education and opportunity play in decisions young women make about these issues. As the media process was demystified, the teenage collaborators began to question Gustafson’s assumptions about how their desires and choices are shaped. And just as the girls had to grapple with the risks of addressing adults and parents with their videos, they challenged Gustafson to do the same, turning the lens towards her own personal history. The film pivots around the intimacy and risk that the two generations of filmmakers share together and with the audience.

Julie Gustafson, an award-winning video maker, has been making documentaries about women and families for nearly twenty years, including the national PBS broadcasts "Giving Birth," "Pursuit of Happiness," and "Casting the First Stone." (03/05)

Desire
A film by Julie Gustafson and Teenage Girls' Documentary Project, 2005, 85 min., Color
Nearly a decade in the making, this refreshingly honest film documents the challenges and desires of a group of young women in New Orleans by letting ...