AMDOCS - Left on Pearl
LEFT ON PEARL is a documentary about the 1971 takeover of a Harvard University-owned building in Cambridge MA by hundreds of women demanding a women’s center.
Interview with Director/Producer Susie Rivo
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We thought this was an important and overlooked story in the history of the women’s liberation movement and the history of Boston. Also, until recently there was very little coverage of the women’s movement in documentaries about the political upheavals of the 60s &70s. Most young women today are unaware of the legal, educational and cultural barriers that circumscribed life for previous generations of women. In 1971, for example, classified ads for employment were still categorized by gender; battered women's shelters did not exist; abortion was illegal; married women could not open a bank account without their husband’s permission.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is an eye-opening story about what life was like for women before the Women’s Movement and a compelling and funny account about a radical action taken by individual women to change society.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Because this is a documentary, there wasn’t really a script. We did end up using a small amount of narration as a bridge between dialogue, where needed. We shot the first interview for the film in 2003. It took many years to locate the subjects, who lived all over the country, and to arrange to interview them. Not having much of a budget, we often had to wait until they happened to travel to Boston. We eventually interviewed more than 50 women and few men. Each time we interviewed additional subjects, the film had to be re-edited to include their perspectives and stories.
We also found troves of archival footage at various points over the years, and these also dramatically changed the shape of the film. After we found archival footage of the takeover of the 1970 Harvard University graduation ceremony, we were able to include more about the Riverside community and its fight with Harvard University against displacement and gentrification. This was the neighborhood where 888 Memorial Drive, the building that women seized and occupied, was located and it intersected in interesting ways with the story of the takeover.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We’ve received positive feedback from women who were involved in this movement in the 60s/70s and thrilled to see it depicted. Younger people (both women and men) have been fascinated and inspired by this story. They were frustrated that they had never been taught about it, even those who grew up in Cambridge, where the events took place.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has been gratifying to feel we are doing what we intended – which is to fill in the gaps in people’s knowledge about the past and to inspire and motivate them to act for change.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
The film has already had about 20 screenings in film festivals and other venues and won half a dozen awards. We look forward to screening in additional Festivals, particularly on the West Coast. The next step is to look for the right distributors and/or sales agent. We have gotten many requests from university professors to purchase the film, which is not yet available for sale, so we know the film will be successful in the educational market – particularly for courses in Women & Gender Studies, American Studies, Political Science, Sociology and History. We’d also like to distribute a version for high schools.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Given the current backlash against women’s rights, when something as non-controversial as birth control can now be removed from women’s health insurance at their employers’ whim, this film is a call to action. The activism it highlights is applicable to anyone. And right now, everyone who is not part of the 1% is threatened by this administration’s efforts to redistribute every bit of wealth to the top .01% by destroying public services, environmental regulations, labor laws, our access to a free internet, etc. – basically everything people have fought for over the past 100 years. We want this film to encourage people to come together and take back their power.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How do we come together to make change?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We are pretty busy with just getting this film out there, but we do have another documentary on the back burner that we need to finish.
Interview: March 2018
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTIAQ+, scifi, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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LEFT ON PEARL
LEFT ON PEARL is a documentary about the 1971 takeover of a Harvard University-owned building in Cambridge MA by hundreds of women demanding a women’s center.
Length: 55 Minutes
Director: Susie Rivo
Producer: Susie Rivo
Editor: Iftach Shavit
About the writer, director and producer:
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Social media handles:
Facebook: facebook.com/leftonpearl
Twitter: twitter.com/leftonpearl
Instagram: www.instagram.com/explore/tags/leftonpearl/
Other: www.leftonpearl.org
Funders: MassHumanities,
Made in association with: 888 Women’s History Project
Where will the film screen in the next month? AMDOCS