Soft Fiction (Chick Strand, 1979)

“Rewrite[s] the rules of documentary to create a distinctly female form of expression.” —BAMcinématek

A key film of the 1970s and still considered among the most significant feminist films ever produced in this country, Soft Fiction is a collaboration between pioneering filmmaker Chick Strand and five other women. Blending their intimate stories of female sexuality in a way that was shockingly direct at the time, they create a personal documentary about women’s lived experiences (and fantasies) and how memory changes over time. If you’ve never seen the film, it’ll be a major discovery, and if you have, this present moment is a perfect time to revisit it. (56 mins., 16mm)

Soft Fiction was restored in 2015 by the Academy Film Archive. Restoration funding provided by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and The Film Foundation.