Like many little girls, I grew up idolising Disney princesses. Ariel was my favourite; I never took her voicelessness too literally. When I was six years old I suggested my parents name my newborn brother ‘Prince Charming’. In my young eyes there could be nothing better. They went with ‘Liam’ instead. Once I was…
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This is a review of a session held at the 2016 Sydney Writers’ Festival. * When I first entered the room and upon seeing so many older women, I was unsure if I would feel comfortable as a member of the new generation of feminism. I wondered whether Gloria Steinem, a prominent 82-year-old American…
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The Wait (originally L’Attesa) is a French/Italian two-hander featuring Juliette Binoche and Lou de Laâge, two generations of talented French actresses, who unfortunately suffer under the weight of simple material that is—seemingly out of necessity—over-directed. Debut director Piero Messina is young as directors go (he’s in his thirties), and has an eye for intriguing and abstract visuals…
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There are two types of people in the world, according to Nicole Trilivas’s protagonist Kika Shores: those who travel, and those who don’t. Kika belongs to the former category: she enjoys the thrill of walking through a city whose name she can’t pronounce, and finding herself an alien culture with nothing but a well-worn backpack….
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The Trans Pacific Partnership is coming soon to an economy near you. This week, US-lead negotiations for the TPP reached consensus after a marathon seven years of back and forth on the biggest trade deal of our time. This means that while an agreement has been reached, the TPP still needs to be…
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The mass abuse of women always seems to follow in the wake of war. During World War II, the government of Imperial Japan was involved in the management of so-called ‘comfort stations’, or brothels for Japanese soldiers. Historians estimate that between 50,000 and 200,000 woman and girls from various countries were kidnapped, coerced, or…
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The 2016 presidential election is looming in Taiwan. With both major parties being led by women, Hung Hsiu-chu and Tsai Ing-wen, the country seemed poised to make history with their first female president. Now, with James Soong joining the race for presidency, this is no longer so certain. A competing factor is the distinct…
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On Lip this week Bridget Conway reviews one-woman show What’s The Matter with Mary Jane? The Lip Crew on influential feminist books Amy Mckenna writes about the gender pay gap Eden Faithfull discusses the future of women in architecture The Hollywood Bias: a new study finds that women had less than a third of speaking parts in the 700 most popular films released…
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As the West and Japan grow more enchanted with each other, our cultural landscape is exposed to new and unique interpretations of the female. This three-part series by Marie Davis explores the characterisation of women in shonen anime and manga, and their relationship with their burgeoning Western audience. (Part One and Part Two.) My first…
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As the West and Japan grow more enchanted with each other, our cultural landscape is exposed to new and unique interpretations of the female. This three-part series by Marie Davis explores the characterisation of women in shonen anime and manga, and their relationship with their burgeoning Western audience. Read Part One here. As Japanese culture…
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As the West and Japan grow more enchanted with each other, our cultural landscape is exposed to new and unique interpretations of the female. This three-part series by Marie Davis explores the characterisation of women in shonen anime and manga, and their relationship with their burgeoning Western audience. Perhaps the most unique reimagining of the…
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For most of us, the closest we’ve been to Scientology is watching this video of Tom Cruise. If Cruise’s flaring nostrils and hysteric laugh didn’t have you going cross eyed at the new age “religion,” Alex Gibney’s new documentary will. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief draws back the curtain that has hung…
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Xavier Dolan’s Mommy (released on April 9) brims with an exuberance that threatens to split its very illusion at the seams. Violence brews just beneath the surface of chaotic and charming almost-teenager Steve’s countenance (played by Antoine-Olivier Pilon). Diagnosed vaguely by his mother with “ADHD… attachment disorder” he is thrust back into her life when…
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Numerous arrests and a slap in the face from border security guards could not contain Amin Palangi’s Love Marriage in Kabul from finding its audience. The documentary is set to screen in March at the Byron Bay Film Festival. After the drowning of her six year old son, Mahboba Rawi made a promise to save…
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