CIFF Filmmaker Gina Hara Hosts Discussion About Women in ‘Geek’ Communities

Due in large part of the explosion of popularity surrounding superhero movies, Harry Potter, and the revival of Star Wars, it seems as though the “geek” shall inherit the earth. As geeky fandoms and nerd culture rise in acceptance and popularity, female and female-identifying fans are still frequently made to feel unwelcome in these communities. Montreal-based filmmaker Gina Hara’s documentary Geek Girls: The Hidden Half of Nerd Culture seeks to explore the experiences of geeks that dare call themselves woman.

Presented by the Cleveland chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and The Side Quest, Gina Hara will be hosting a meet-and-greet / discussion about professional gamers, fake identities, misogyny in geek communities, and the very real death threats experienced by geek girls every single day.

Geek Girls came to be after Hara began making her documentary about geek culture as a whole, but slowly realized that there was a large amount of gate keeping from men unwilling to let a woman into their “geek dungeons.” Hearing stories from women about the injustices and unspoken rules universally experienced inspired Hara to dive deeper into the overlooked half of these social communities. There is surely power in self-identifying communal labels like “geek” or “nerd,” but the harsh reality is that women in male dominated communities are frequently targeted for violence, discrimination and misogyny. Hara’s documentary painfully puts these truths on display.

This event will take place Saturday, April 7 from 6pm-7:45pm at The Side Quest, at 17900 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood.

You can catch Geek Girls at the Cleveland International Film Festival April 6, and 8 by following this link. Use the code “NOW” to receive a $2 discount off the admission price.

This article appears in Apr 4-10, 2018.