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Welcome to our "women are badass" episode from Sundance 2022! We've compiled a group of films that highlight the strength, resilience, and power that it takes to be a woman. In Sirens, we follow the rocky rise of Slave to Sirens, the Middle East's first all female thrash metal band. Director Rita Baghdadi explains how she fell in love with the band, and how she managed to complete the film despite the difficulties of filming abroad, including how she was saved from the Beirut explosion in 2020. The documentary Midwives introduces us to Hla, a Buddhist midwife, and her apprentice Nyo Nyo, a Muslim, who together run a clinic in the very divided Rhakine State in Myanmar. Director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing and producer Mila Aung-Thwin describe how they were able to film during an ongoing Civil War, police checkpoints, and the unexpected changes in their main character's lives. With the documentary short Long Line of Ladies, we are introduced to the Ihuk ceremony, celebrated by the Karuk tribe after a young girl receives her first period. Directors Rayka Zehtabchi and Shaandiin Tome discuss the importance of being respectful during filming, the men's role in the ceremony, and why they chose to focus on the preparation, instead of the ceremony itself.

You can follow the band Slave to Sirens on IG & Twitter & FB

You can follow director Rita Baghdadi on IG & Twitter & FB

You can follow director Snow Hnin Ei Hlaing on FB

You can follow producer Mila Aung-Thwin on IG & Twitter & FB

You can follow director Rayka Zehtabchi on IG & Twitter

You can follow director Shaandiin Tome on IG & Twitter

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