Horror Movies as Social Commentary: an interview with Lonnie Martin

Women's Studies is an independently-produced horror/satire about feminist ideals gone wrong that Lonnie Martin made in 2010. It was his first feature film.  

Co-produced by and starring his wife Cindy Marie Martin, Women's Studies got a decent amount of press back when the video was released.

But nothing like the amount of hits their website and Youtube pages got a couple of months ago when Jezebel posted the trailer and a barbed blurb, which set off ridiculous internet insult-slinging. They didn't even reach out to him for comment. 

  

Had I not known Lonnie personally, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it all. Just another white dude making movies with chicks making out.  

However, since befriending Lonnie in a film theory class at American University earlier this year, I already knew him to be a thoughtful feminist and talented storyteller. So I wanted to give him a voice here. We had a long audio interview a couple of weeks ago. Here's the first set: 

In the first part, Lonnie talks about his screenplays leading up to Women's Studies, and introduces his dream project, Maynard Comes Back, a horror anthology. 



In the second part, Lonnie discusses the old school horror of George A. Romero and connects the "torture porn" of Saw to the social anxiety of real life torture uncovered in the Abu Ghraib scandal.    

Human Rights in Our Own Backyard

I often rave about the great stuff going on at Eckerd College. But last weekend after all my years here (seven to be exact), I finally found my way to the University of Tampa. 

I caught the tale end of Human Rights Day, which featured UT instructors Chioke I'anson (also a Free Skooler, fellow WMNF'er & friend), and Drs. Bruce Friesen & Marcus Arvan.

Dr. Friesen covered the Kony 2012 video drama, highlighting its major problems. He ultimately, however, gave credit to the process, saying “as long as we get students exposed," he could get behind the work. 

Dr. Arvan disagreed. "We’re making our judgements from afar. It’s the people on the ground that know the needs.” 

Citing a lack of accountability and white savior complex of the organization behind the Kony video, Adjunct Prof I'anson, who has spent several summers in Uganda, argued that “Everything about Invisible Children is bad,”  

Last month he sat on an NYU panel with the IC and said they avoided answering all of his questions. He added, "Their videos do not transcend race but plays up racist predisposition." 

One solution I'anson offered was alternative narratives, that is, letting the Ugandans speak for themselves. 

UT senior Jasmine Eggestein, majoring in criminology, specifically human trafficking & cyber security, and junior Shelly Santos, a criminology major focusing on child protection attended the day's events. 

Giselle Rodriguez of the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking spoke earlier in the day about child exploitation. 

During Friesen's Kony 2012 discussion, she said “A lot of what they talked about has happened here in the US," in terms of gang initiations and other forms of violence and exploitation. 

Friesen added that human rights definitely starts at home. 

Take Back the Night 2011

The Sexual Violence Task Force of Tampa Bay presented Take Back the Night last night in Hyde Park Village.

I arrived as they were honoring Rita Peters, Chief of Sex Crimes for the District Attorney’s office. She gave an emotional speech about wearing her heart on her sleeve as she helps victims of abuse win their cases with a 96% success rate. 

I was very happy to get a few moments with Tampa PD Chief Jane Castor. 

As I reported previously, 1 in 6 women are victims of sexual violence, as are 1 in 33 men. 

Clotheslines of shirts hung around the park with messages from victims to their attackers, and in memoriam of women whose lives were lost. 

High Hopes in High Heels board member Laura Fontanills was one of many community volunteers who came out in support of the cause. 

Mad, Mad World

I took a walk around downtown Tampa Friday afternoon. I didn't run into any friends and I had lunch alone, but I've increasingly felt a deepening connection to this (relatively) small city lately.

I know it has something to do with not just recognizing the faces of my frequent library patrons, from the well-off to the homeless, but also knowing their names and learning a little more about them each time I come to work.

My definition of community is always maintaining a sense of togetherness, not just getting together to enjoy the easy times or to weather the tragedies.

I think it's that sense of continued connection that helps prevent the ugliest human re/actions, and keeps us neighbors/strangers looking after one another.

Still, those terrible things do happen: Wars rage on overseas and within individuals. Is there a way to stop any of the violence without making more violence? Who of us is going to try?