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Choices

From the collection of

North East Film Archive

The North East Film Archive, based at Teesside University, save and celebrate the screen heritage of the North East of England. At the heart of their collection are films made by, and for, local people, reflecting and representing the communities, places and distinctive identity of the region. Together with their sister archive in Yorkshire they form the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, a unique pan-regional resource with over 75,000 moving image artefacts, part of York St John University. They unlock the collections for artists, academics, curators, programmers, researchers, and producers to reveal compelling stories from the vaults. www.yfanefa.com

Choices

As gut-wrenchingly relevant now as when it was made, some stories are too shocking to ignore.

Living in fear of pregnancy has been a reality for women since time immemorial. Until 1837, women in England could purchase medicines to induce a miscarriage up to around 20 weeks into their pregnancy, without incurring the wrath of the law, or the church. However, this freedom was curtailed by incremental acts of parliament, until even seeking to procure an abortion became a crime. The 1967 Abortion Act gave women in Great Britain a legal route to terminate a pregnancy, but, as the women in this film testify, women still face obstacles to bodily autonomy.

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From the collection

Returning the Gaze

From reproductive rights to unemployment: women tell their own stories in their own way.

At the time these films were made, the vast majority of camera operators, writers and directors were men. For generations, when women's stories were told in film, they were frequently told by men and from the perspective of the male onlooker. In this collection women are given back their voice, and while the subject matter is diverse, the authenticity of the female perspective shines through in every film.

7 videos in this collection

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Lydia Oh Lydia

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1991
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Accept Me, I'm Single

  • Gateshead
  • 2000
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Choices

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1989
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Break Down the Wall

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1989
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Trouble and Strife

  • RAF Molesworth
  • 1986
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Briefing [02/04/1984]

  • Gateshead
  • 1984
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Never Done Anything Like This Before

  • Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1984
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