Lily Tomlin, Lili Lakich to spearhead fundraiser for Feminist documentary

Iconic comedian and actress Lily Tomlin and sculptor Lili Lakich are raising money for the completion of the feminist documentary film Feminist: What Were They Thinking? and they want your help.

The fundraising event, called Lily Tomlin & Lili Lakich: Raising $$$ for Feminists: What Were They Thinking?, will be held at the Lakich Studio in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, October 18.

The event will not only show a sneak preview of the documentary Feminist: What Were They Thinking?, guests can also check out the feminist art installation Womanhouse. Food and wine will likewise be available.

Feminist history as stories

The documentary on the second wave of feminism directed by Johanna Demetrakas and produced by Cheryl Swannack will focus on the women’s movement of the 1970s, taking on women’s personal experiences of sexism and liberation while taking on the ever-challenging dialogue into the 21st century.

As Demetrakas noted, “Growing up in the fifties and sixties meant not only second class citizenship legally, but 2nd class human being-ship: not invited to the party of medicine, art, law, education, science, religion, except maybe as the secretary.”

“The Women’s Movement isn’t just about changing laws or challenging customs. It’s about awakening half the human race to full personhood and inspiring the other half to come to the dance. That’s a lot of cultural habit to liberate ourselves from,” their website pointed out.

“We believe the most profound changes are the ones that come to us in personal ways. We want to bring those stories, into the 21st century, to explore the dialogue of today with young women who still face many of the most profound barriers we faced 40 years ago,” it added.

The documentary is based on Cynthia MacAdams’ book Emergence, which detailed the lives of women of Los Angeles and New York in the late ’70s, like Laurie Anderson, Anne Waldman, Gloria Steinem, Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Kate Millett, Patti Smith, Michelle Phillips, Judy Chicago, Marisol Escobar, and Meredith Monk.

Feminist challenges in the future

The creators of the documentary said, “”Each woman tells of her personal experiences as a little girl, a teenager and a grown woman — stories of frustration, of limitations and of separation that one never forgets. We intercut these personal stories with footage from commercials, movies, news, music, television, the culture of the 50s and 60s and the culture now.”

“Some things have changed, some remain the same. Some are even worse. Then for each woman, there is the very personal moment of awakening to her own precious sense of identity. And at the same time, there is the exhilarating challenge of the women’s movement,” they added.

They also posed the questions for the women of today: “What has changed? What remains the same? Where are we now? How can this dialogue with history help women around the world?”