WITCHES
WITCHES
A surprising story about the connection between postpartum mental health and the portrayal of witches in Western society and pop culture. A mix of personal stories and historical footage in the struggle to reclaim one's history. Polish premiere and the only documentary in the British Film Festival programme.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, there were thousands of executions of witches who were hanged and burned at the stake.
Nearly 15,000 women have been murdered in Europe and North America. Their trials were driven by age-old mechanisms of control - maintaining power over women and dictating to society the only right way to think, and what to believe. If we lived in those times, wouldn't many of us also be burned at the stake? In an intimate and personal film, director Elizabeth Sankley (known to Polish audiences for her film ROMANTIC COMEDY from the MDAG 2020 selection) cites examples of portrayals of the titular witches in cinematic history and creates from them a mosaic background to tell the story of her own experiences.
The documentary about the witches becomes a pretext for reflecting on the mental health of modern women, as well as boldly addressing the subject of postpartum depression, which the director herself experienced. In this way, the film becomes an act of self-therapy, while also offering support to other women who, not fitting into the stereotypical mould of the "perfect" mother or wife, live with a sense of shame and harsh self-judgement.
It's a story that hasn't really changed for centuries. It is also a story of sisterhood, for every witch needs a coven — support and the sharing of experiences with other women. THE WITCHES had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and we are proud to present it to Polish audiences for the first time as part of the British Film Festival programme.
Dorota Reksińska
