Starring: Reed Birney, Jim Carrington, John Fedinatz

Join The FOFIF for a special screening of Martha Coolidge’s restored and essential debut feature film, NOT A PRETTY PICTURE. Screening beforehand is the short film ALPHA KINGS by Faye Tsakas and Enrique Pedraza Botero. Introduction by The FOFIF. To make an additional $10 donation to The Future of Film is Female, select the “Event + Donation” ticket on the checkout screen.

Blurring the line between documentary and storytelling, Martha Coolidge’s compelling meta-narrative examines her own sexual assault by a high-school classmate. Coolidge enlists actors to recreate the circumstances surrounding her rape and interviews her former roommate to illuminate the consequences and complexities of its aftermath. Hailed as “Brechtian” by critics, NOT A PRETTY PICTURE delves into the often-gendered psychology of rape, as well as Coolidge’s own struggle to understand how and why the assault occurred.

Digitally restored in 4K from original 16mm elements in 2022 by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation. Restoration funding was provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. A Janus Films release.

With ALPHA KINGS (2023)
Directed by Faye Tsakas and Enrique Pedraza Botero
From a rented mansion in suburban Texas, a group of young men sell a hyperbolic, alpha-male version of themselves on the internet. 15 min.