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1. Feminism as fun
Profile: Jamie Babbit
Film director Jamie Babbit, born in 1970, currently resides in LA. She directed the feature films "But I'm a Cheerleader" (1999),"Itty Bitty Titty Committee" (2007), and "The Quiet" (2006) as well as TV series, such as the popular shows The L Word, Ugly Betty, and Nip/Tuck.
This year, Jamie Babbit visited Japan from July 6th through 12th to promote her latest movie "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" (IBTC) at the Tokyo International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Also, another bit of news was that she and her partner Andrea were five months pregnant with their second baby (by artificial insemination), who Jamie is carrying.
The screening of IBTC opened the festival, and Jamie spoke afterwards. The audience posed many intelligent questions, showing the depth of the interest held by both lesbians and gays in the work. Also, everybody was impressed to see a lesbian mother-to-be, a first for most of the audience.
Also see: TW's Interview with producer Lisa Thrasher
―First, how would you introduce your last movie "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" (IBTC)?
Well, I would introduce it as the film version of riot grrrl music from the early 90's, and for me the music came first. I always wanted to try to make the cinematic equivalent of that music.
―Can you explain the riot grrrl movement for our Japanese readers?
It was basically the feminist punk movement of the early 1990's - a reaction against the boy punk culture of the 1980's. There were a bunch of girls in Olympia, Washington - which is the small town where Kurt Cobain (from Nirvana) was living - and they became a kind of epicenter for the riot grrrl movement. The two most famous women to come out of this scene (also known for the highly liberal Evergreen College and the fantastic record label KILL ROCK STARS), were Courtney Love and Kathleen Hanna (from Le Tigre). They were fierce, feminist punk rock musicians, and interested in women's issues - and weirdly I think they both dated Kurt Cobain at some point.
―You mean, they were both dating him at the same time?
Yeah, around the same time I think, and they seem to hate each other quite strongly, those two (laughs). Even still today. So, they were feminists and they started bands. Kathleen Hanna started Bikini Kill, a very feminist political band, but she didn't know how to really play any instruments (laughs). But her idea was, "It's ok to not know, just play anyway! (laughs) Eventually you'll get better". This is pretty much the same as Courtney Love. When these two started to make music KILL ROCK STARS, the small punk label, brought them on board. Maybe there were like 10 bands that had just started and their idea was to make punk music that was feminist and fun. The early riot grrls music is raw and I wanted that raw aesthetic for Itty Bitty as well.
―What do you personally like the most about this music and the movement?
I most like the feeling and the energy. When these bands were playing, I was always at concerts - in the front. I just liked the idea of feminism being fun, and political, and not boring (laughs). The lyrics are very funny too, and the music really touched me.
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