Here is a list of films, mostly directed by women and always featuring stellar, complex and interesting female leads, to keep you occupied during lockdown.
All in Arts & Culture
Every Twenty-Something Should Watch 'The Most Beautiful Thing' on Netflix
You might think a Netflix binge is the height of procrastination, but the Brazilian period drama, Coisa Mais Linda, or The Most Beautiful Thing, is going to turn your life around.
Insane Animals: Sparkling Satire from Bourgeois and Maurice
Homosexuality, heterosexuality, civilisation, tyranny, immortality, trans-humanism and Brexit are all on the bill, and doused in sequins.
Meet Lolshevism: A Socialist Feminist Comedy Club
Meet the women steering Lolshevism; a socialist, feminist comedy club hosted in Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds. In a sphere that has traditionally failed to include women, minorities, and marginalised genders, Lolshevism provides top tier, inclusive comedy every month…
8 Queer-Friendly Podcasts to Discover this LGBTQ+ History Month
It’s LGBTQ+ History Month in February; the perfect time to discover more queer-friendly podcasts and support the creative endeavours of the LGBTQ+ community… Get your headphones out and enjoy!
The Clashing Cacophony of Wuthering Heights at the Royal Exchange
In a beautifully dissonant retelling of Emily Brontë’s traumatic love story, we are cast into the North Yorkshire Moors at the heart of the Royal Exchange.
7 True Crime Podcasts That Do Women Justice
True crime is having a moment – or maybe more of an hour. From Netflix specials like Making a Murderer to the 2019 Bundy biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, there’s a plethora of grizzly content to consume. If you’re keen to hop on the bandwagon but can’t face being clobbered by patriarchal reporting, this one’s for you. Here’s a handful of true crime podcasts that won’t make your feminism shudder…
Leeds LGBTQ+ History Month in 9 Queer-Friendly Events
LGBTQ+ History Month falls in February in the UK, and lucky for us our hometown is well-endowed with queer-friendly businesses and inclusive venues. Here’s a list of Leeds events for the LGBTQ+ community (and allies), so that you can celebrate this important month with comedy, literature, panel discussions, and wrestling (yes, wrestling!)…
OPIA Collective: The Girl With Glitter In Her Eye
OPIA Collective’s The Girl With Glitter In Her Eye is an ambitious, theatrical piece that explores the narrative – and most importantly, the ownership of the narrative – around trauma. Written and directed by Masha Keninovna, the play tells the story of a friendship complicated by the revelation of trauma. It poses the question: is it possible to tell someone’s story without silencing them along the way?
5 Feminist Shows to Stream this Betwixtmas
It’s that strange week between Christmas and New Year where time is measured in number of Lindor consumed, and setting foot outside the safety of your lovely, lethargic lounge feels positively heroic. If you’re lucky enough to have this stretch of daily cold spreads off work, then rest assured we’re not here to galvanise you into action, but rather enable your annual slump. Here are some of our fave feminist shows to stream before the countdown to NYE begins…
The Glory of Gypsy at the Royal Exchange
Billed as ‘a musical fable’ this sparkling production follows the highs and lows of life in show-business. We watch a pushy mother living vicariously through her daughters; an unmarried woman finding fulfilment in the shadow of the spotlight.
“Run away from your troubles white man” - Playland at Empty Space Theatre
Playland is a meeting of two men in Apartheid South Africa. These men stand at the brink of a new decade, searching for redemption in the bright lights of the fun fair.
trade: the transactional nature of being
We met with Sharla Smith, Rachel Summers and Gracy Goldman to discuss trade, a warm yet incisive three-woman play about sex tourism. Written by debbie tucker green, trade inspects the transactional nature of being, and holds up a mirror to vulnerability of lonely women and the delusion of White Brits abroad.
Macbeth: Queen of Scotland at the Royal Exchange
For centuries scholars have dissected the power of female characters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Now, in this new adaptation by Christopher Haydon, Macbeth herself questions the same.
9 Sustainable Swaps that Won't Cost the Earth
In recent weeks, the fantastic #FridaysForFuture movement has brought millions to the streets, and there’s no doubt that the press coverage surrounding climate change has reached fever pitch. But as global awareness increases, it seems our political leaders move in the opposite direction, guffawing their way through the UN Climate Change Summit and fervently favouring profit over planet…
Under Three Moons: A Spotlight on Male Communication
Daniel Kanaber’s new play is at once an in-depth conversation and a presentation of the unspoken. At the show’s heart, the titular moon shines a spotlight on the very human - rather, very male - struggle to communicate.
Harpy Interviews: Rosie Hilton
Harpy chats to Rosie Hilton about her creative process, the impact of gender identity on her work and the power of poetry as both personal exploration and instigator of social change.
AMMA: Creating sustainable and ethical textile products
Harpy talks to Josie Mackenzie about the creation of AMMA, women’s livelihoods on the tea estates in Sri Lanka, and how to change the global fashion industry by promoting sustainable working conditions and environmentally friendly products.
Make Way for the Matriarchy: Hive City Legacy @ HOME, Manchester
This cacophonous collage of individual stories certainly fulfils its ‘genre-defying’ promise. From poetry, beatboxing, breakdancing, and song, to aerial acrobatics and unforgiving satire, you can never be sure of what the next scene holds.
Lemon House Theatre: shaking up the theatre landscape
Lemon House Theatre (aka Jen and Samia) have landed with a splash - and are about to debut their first full-length productions at The Bunker in South London. Harpy caught up with the smart, savvy pair to talk about theatre, politics and why woman are ALWAYS funniest when they’re in the home. Catch Willow and Different Sand on the 8th, 9th, 15th and 16th September.