Cinema Politica "Category Woman"

The Social Justice Centre presents the Premiere of "Category: Woman".

Category: Woman

Phyllis Ellis  ·  2022  ·  1h20m ·  Canada

Sport has a long, insidious history of policing female athletes’ bodies. Who is a woman and who gets to decide?

English, Hindi, Swahili

ABOUT THE FILM

When 18-year-old South African runner Caster Semenya burst onto the world stage in 2009, her championship was not celebrated, but marred by doubt, her personal medical records leaked to the international media. Was the public scrutiny of her body, driven by racism and sexism, questioning the most fundamental right of who she is and who she was told she should be? The International Amateur Athletics Federation (now World Athletics) ruled that targeted female athletes must medically alter their healthy bodies in order to compete. Their naturally high androgen levels deemed a performance advantage. CATEGORY: WOMAN focuses on four athletes from the Global South forced out of competition by these regulations, the devastation to their bodies, and lives. Their passion for sport is further emboldened by their conviction to stand up for their human rights. Following up on her award-winning film TOXIC BEAUTY, Phyllis Ellis exposes an industry controlled by men putting women’s lives at risk while this policing of women’s bodies in sport remains, in a more nefarious way, under the guise of fair play.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Phyllis Ellis is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, actor, and producer who has worked in Europe, Asia, Africa, India, and the U.S. for the past 35 years. Nominated for the 2021 International Emmys and winner of Best Direction and Best Writing at the Canadian Screen Awards (CSA), her feature documentary “Toxic Beauty” has been viewed by over 44 million people worldwide. Ellis has won six CSAs and was nominated for best direction for her work in documentary film, series, writing, and performance. An Olympian, Ellis is dedicated to telling stories empowering women’s voices around the world.

Join Cinema Politica Concordia for the premiere of CATEGORY: WOMAN by Phyllis Ellis, followed by a Q&A with guest speakers.