Things have hardly changed since the 1920s! Men create the images we see; women are objects of the male gaze. Time to change that. We want lots of perspectives shaping our world, especially from more women. Women & men enjoy real parity in our film—on both sides of the camera—for a reel female gaze.

 

 SYNOPSIS: Woman's Gaze

It’s the modern times of the Jazz Age . . . .  At an art nude photo exhibit—unsurprisingly, all female—Will gets inspired: he’d like to create sexy progressive images of his wife, Beth. She is disappointed women are not photographing men, which inspires her. She agrees to pose if Will poses for her.

So it’s lights, camera . . . lose your clothes, Will! In a win-win turn of the tables, this highly
charged art gets the woman behind the camera and the man as the object of her gaze. 

Beth and Will plan an unconventional, potentially scandalous exhibit of one photograph each to capture their passion for sexual equality. Friends Cary, Janet, Matt, and Cherilyn don’t expect these photos when they arrive for casual cocktails, leading to lively discussion and inspiration because images of men created by women are far from the norm – and still are today. Isn't it about time for erotic photography of men taken by women? Absolutely.

 

 

  Grab the Camera

  Change the View

 

 EMPOWERING YET FUN & SEXY 

Stardust & Moonbeams is smart, fun, and empowering, showing equality in a sexy, loving way.  There is a lack of good roles for women in Hollywood, both on screen and behind the camera.  Even in indie filmmaking, there isn't parity.  With Stardust & Moonbeams, we do the following: 

 

◙   Privilege female perspectives, pleasure, and viewers; promote women’s ownership of the
desiring gaze and men’s willingness to be the object of that gaze—empowering women and men toward more equitable sexual dynamics

◙   Showcase progressive, sexy images of men—for women—to redress the huge imbalance of male gaze/objectified female sexuality that pervades our media and culture; 31% of women in Hollywood films are overtly sexualized through clothing/nudity vs. 8% of men

◙   Grab the camera so women control the view—we are women filmmakers; on Hollywood films, women are 20% of producers, 17% of editors, 10% of writers, 6% of directors, and 3% of cinematographers; the ACLU and EEOC are probing the movie industry

◙   Target ongoing debate over women’s right to control their own bodies, claim their sexuality, and affirm their own agency using historical perspective with Jazz Age feminism

◙   Change the view and spark a change—with a smart, fun, sexy film

 

  CURRENT STATUS: Funds to Finish Up Post-Production

Currently in post-production, the 20-min film is nearing completion.  However, additional funds are needed so Nancy Schreiber can finish color grading and Terri Farley-Teruel can finalize our music.  Our goal is to begin submitting Stardust & Moonbeams to festivals this spring, with an expected Fall 2017 festival world premiere.  

 

  THE BIG PROJECT

The Stardust & Moonbeams novel and film project has actually been a decade in the making.  The screen story is adapted from the forthcoming women's fiction novel Stardust & Moonbeams (BZB Publishing), written by Madelyn Ritrosky & Dena Huisman.  They wrote Stardust & Moonbeams because of the double standards, rigid gender roles, reproductive injustices, male gaze imagery, and male-centered stories that hold sway and shape our culture. With PhDs in communication, they wanted to use their knowledge and research to make a difference but in fun, far-reaching ways.  They chose fiction—with vibrant women who shoot for the moon and accept nothing less, intelligent men who understand the need for change, private negotiation of truly equitable relationships, public expressions of sexual equality with birth control access and cultural imagery, and tons of historical details that paint the Jazz Age in its modern tones of our contemporary colors.

 

Our film was shot on location at Farmer House Museum, Bloomington, Indiana.
http://thefarmerhousemuseum.wix.com/homepage

 

 

  OUR BUSINESS SPONSORS - We would love more!

Many levels of sponsorship available. Contact Madelyn Ritrosky at [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 B-Town Diner