18.11.25, 20:30, Serpentines and Serpents, Women in Comedy or in Colour

Nannies, housekeepers, mothers and mannequins: in the era of silent film comedies, women are often portrayed in a one-dimensional way. This programme brings together 10 short films in which women rebel against these restrictive roles. A pregnant woman with an insatiable appetite, striking nannies, rebellious furniture and exaggerated fashion accessories form a festive protest against inappropriate conventions.

From Alice Guy, possibly the first female director ever, we show Madame a des envies (1906), and Chantal Akerman also does away with kitchen routines in her debut film Saute ma ville (1968). Once we have laughed, there is room for beauty, wonder and colour. In a few rarely screened films, women transform into flowers, caterpillars or snakes dressed in wondrous costumes and coloured with glittering shades. Sonia Delaunay demonstrates her ideas about colour in a geometric fashion collection filmed using the experimental Dorian-Keller colour process. Actress Jane Smile sings a few fairy tales in a never-before-seen film in Dascolor, a sophisticated Belgian-made colour process.

The programme hops between silent films and sound films, between black and white and colour, and between jokes and emotion, giving a voice to underrepresented role models and films. Tonight, this can be taken very literally, as the musical accompaniment to the silent films is provided by Hilde Nash, with guitar and vocals.

This programme will be introduced by teacher and film researcher Hilde D'haeyere.