Jodie: An Icon

A film by Pratibha Parmar

England | 1996 | 24 minutes | Color | 16mm/DVD | Order No. 99475

SYNOPSIS

Jodie is a fast paced, breezy look at the transatlantic phenomenon that has made Hollywood actress Jodie Foster an icon for lesbians who identify with, adore and celebrate the screen personas of her remarkable career. Fans and queer cultural critics share their favorite ‘iconic’ moments giving illuminating lesbian readings of Foster’s key films which trace the charismatic actor’s progression from early tomboy parts as a child star to mature performances depicting active, strong willed women with attitude. Die hard Foster fans like comedienne Lea de Laria’s comment that “If I was Hannibal Lecter, it wouldn’t be her liver I’d want to eat,” express the desire and lust shared by Foster’s lesbian fans around the world. The film captures the Jodie Foster look alike contest in San Francisco and a visually slick montage of views on Foster’s butch femme indeterminacy all help to confirm Foster’s status as a dyke icon.

PRESS

“The real stars in this valentine to Foster are the critics, filmmakers, and just plain movie-goers for whom her star image has been so formative. Foster ought to be pleased with her supporting role.”

Patricia White Swarthmore College

SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS

  • Berlin Film Festival
  • Denver Film Festival
  • South by Southwest Film Festival
  • NY, LA and SF Int’l Lesbian and Gay Film Festivals

ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)

Pratibha Parmar

Pratibha Parmar is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, video artist and professor. Awarded The Visionary Award from the One in Ten Film Festival and the Frameline Film Festival Life Time Achievement Award, Pratibha is Writer/Director/Producer of over 16 documentaries and her films are included in THE PLACE IS HERE (2017) retrospective on 1980's British Black Arts movement, which highlighted issues of race, gender and the politics of representation. Her film SARI RED is retained in the permanent collection at MOMA, NYC and Pompidou Center, Paris. She is the author and editor of several ground breaking books notably, "The Empire Strikes Back: Race and Racism in 1970s Britain," and editor and publisher at Sheba Feminist Press (1980's), the first UK publishers of Audre Lorde. Pratibha was Visiting Artist at Stanford University, Theatre & Performance Studies Department (2013) and is currently an Associate Professor in the film department at California College of the Arts, San Francisco. (07/19)

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