Anna talks to two of the women who changed the world with their anti-nuclear protests at the Greenham Common Peace Camp in the 1980s. Chris Drake and Rebecca Johnson both camped at Greenham Common for years at a time, and now their stories are being told in Briar March’s new documentary, Mothers of the Revolution. First, Anna discusses this release with two top critics, Corrina Antrobus and Angela Errigo. They discuss how much they knew of Greenham before watching the film, the galvanising spirit of the documentary, and how movements started at our kitchen tables may be the answer to tackling our own issues of the day. This episode considers the passion behind female protest, how it is depicted in the media, and why it is often left undocumented or celebrated, despite its epic history. Anna talks about this with both the critics and Chris Drake, who has some heartfelt words of encouragement for listeners. Chris and Rebecca also recall some spine-tingling memories of the Greenham camp from moments of terror to triumph, horror and humour. Mothers of the Revolution is available now on digital download.

Dan Stevens plays a lovebot in the new female-directed film I’m Your Man… and there’s a LOT to discuss! First up, critic and author Terri White joins Anna to talk about the unconventional German rom-com. It stars Maren Eggert as a woman who trials a robot (played by Stevens) designed specifically to please her. Terri and Anna debate the genre of this hybrid movie and discuss its central gender flip. They further unpick the complex character of Alma and celebrate Maren’s memorable performance of her.

Next, Anna speaks to the terrific Maren Eggert herself. From working with writer-director Maria Schrader to starring opposite Brit actor Dan Stevens, she shares her experience of making the movie. Which tricky stunt failed to make the cut? What’s it like to perform sex with a robot? And is I’m Your Man a feminist film? Keep listening to find out!

Want to find out more about great German films you can watch here in the UK? 
@kinogermanynowuk is a newly launched channel on instagram and facebook, follow now for all the latest news and exclusive content on German film releasing and streaming in the UK and Ireland.

This episode enters the world of stripping, with a focus on the film Hustlers. Anna’s first guest is Grace Barber-Plentie, a freelance film programmer and writer who recently curated a Barbican film event on Reframing the Fat Body. Grace draws our attention to a particular film in her programme that normalises fat pole dancers: Dangerous Curves. This segues into a celebration of Lizzo’s appearance in Hustlers and more generally the brilliant performances of the ensemble cast.

Grace and Anna revere the female friendships presented on screen, particularly between the characters played by Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. Such strong bonds and respect between female strippers comes to life, as Anna speaks to friends and strippers Chiqui Love and Stacey Clare. As members of the Berlin Strippers Collective and East London Strippers Collective respectively, Chiqui and Stacey talk intersectional feminism, the issues facing the strip club industry, and misrepresentations of sex work on screen. They speak up for sex workers’ rights and envision what Hustlers 2 should look like…

Recommendations… Grace: P-Valley, Small Axe (series). Chiqui: Bombshell. Stacey: Harlots (series), The Deuce (series).

Other mentions: Dangerous Curves (short), 9 to 5, The Wrestler (2008), Showgirls, The Full Monty, Shameless (series).

Critics and superhero fans Mae Abdulbaki and Allison Shoemaker join our host, Anna Smith, for enthused discussions on two Amazon Prime Video series: The Boys and Stargirl.

Discovering that, ironically, The Boys has a lot to say about its female characters, the critics examine the diverse, kick-ass women of this darkly funny show and praise its Me-Too-era storyline.

Moving onto the more family-friendly Stargirl, they applaud the uplifting, female-centric story that follows three teenage girls as they adopt superhero abilities to fight injustice.

Stay tuned to find out how both shows have interesting relations to Back To The Future II. Beware of minor spoilers.

The critics round up by offering what else they’ve been watching recently, from His Girl Friday (1940) to First Cow (2019). 

In episode 19, director Gurinder Chadha joins Girls On Film for a special episode about her new film Blinded By The Light. Based on the memoirs of Sarfraz Mansoor, the movie centres around a Bruce Springsteen-obsessed teen. The filmmaker talks about meeting The Boss and how Brexit informed the screenplay, as well as her career, feminism, her next music movie and her plans to make a superhero film.  

Anna Smith also reviews the film along with critic Kim Taylor-Foster, Entertainment Editor at FANDOM.