March 31st 2010

Toe to Toe: Coming Soon to a Podcast Near You

Next week's podcast is about Emily Abt's new film, Toe to Toe, so I thought I'd share the trailer to get you in the mood... I haven't seen the film yet, but I assure you, after seeing the trailer (and tearing up a little, I confess), I will. And soon...

In an interview for feministing.com's "Feministing Five" series, Abt said:

"I'm very much a social issues filmmaker and very much a feminist filmmaker, and I think that the two things that Toe to Toe deals with in terms of social issues are the sexualization of teenaged girls and race. With the character of Jesse, I'm basically trying to get audiences to look at the sexualization of teenagers, and of teenaged girls specifically, and ask themselves if that's always such a good thing. I think given current statistics - one in four teenaged girls has an STD, teen pregnancy rates are increasing - that it's a really good time to be having that discussion. So that's one of the things Toe to Toe takes on. It also focuses very much on race relations. I hope that people will be inspired by the authentic relationship that Tosha and Jesse have, in that the girls are very honest and direct with each other. They come from very different backgrounds, but what they have in common is that they're both truth tellers. It's not a "kumbaya" film; they don't have an easy relationship, but it's a strong and a real one, and ultimately they're willing to sacrifice a lot for each other.

The podcast--which features interviews with Louisa Krause and Sonequa Martin (the actresses who play the two protagonists of the film), and with Emily Abt herself--seeks to explore these compelling themes from the perspectives of the three women who brought the story to life. So whether you've already seen the film or not, hope you'll tune in Monday to hear the podcast!