I Was a Teenage Feminist (2005)

I Was A Teenage Feminist is an American/Canadian documentary film directed by Therese Shechter, produced by UpFront Productions and distributed by Women Make Movies. The film explores the marked discomfort among many young, progressive women to identify themselves as feminists and how that discomfort came to be. Through personal narrative as well as interviews with feminist icons and everyday women and men, Shechter’s film documents a complex, multi-generational look at feminist identity in today’s world. The film had its television premiere on March 8, 2005 (International Women's Day) Canada's W Network, and it won Best Film at the National Council of Jewish Women Film Festival and Special Mention at the Karachi International Film Festival in 2006.

Synopsis

I Was A Teenage Feminist examines how and why an uneasiness with the word “feminist” has developed among modern, young women. Throughout the film, Shechter expresses her own struggle with identity as it relates to modern feminism and past iterations of the feminist movements. To illustrate Shechter’s beginnings as the titular Teenage Feminist, the film uses music and scenes from "Free to Be… You and Me", archival footage from dated educational movies and home videos of Shechter as a teenager.