Teaming up with World Movies on Foxtel, Gretel Killeen has selected five films which will be screened across five nights, kicking off on International Women’s Day this Tuesday, March 8.
“I’m such an advocate of women’s rights and humans right and I thought this would be perfect. I wanted a diverse representation of women and female stories,” Gretel tells Now To Love of the offering, which has been aptly named Wonder Women.
“We’re proud that women, the men who support women, brave casts and crews and incredible women’s stories continue to be seen, shared and treasured.”
From Russian flick Zoology, which follows the story of a girl who grows a tail, to Swedish Film Girls Lost, which explores three adolescent girls who one day wake up as boys – Wonder Women is bound to give you a refreshing perspective from the female gaze.
As Gretel gears up to present the TV special, Now To Love sat down with The Project star to talk about what International Women’s Day means to her and the inspiring lessons she’s learnt along the way…
Don’t ever be someone you’re not
“I do a lot of different things in my career, I’m in a lot of different environments, with different groups of people,” she explains.
“And they’re high-pressure environments and the really interesting thing is telling myself ‘I know how to do this! I am capable of it!’ And it’s not becoming someone every time I go on stage but being me. The feeling I always have is that my feet are firmly on the ground, I am me! The life lesson is I’m not putting on cloaks or amour when I get up, it is me.”
“I’m still learning that it’s OK to be 100% me. Because my generation of females, our edges had to be smooth to fit in. We had to be careful how we said things, when we said them, and what we thought… We were always walking a step behind.”
“To me, the thing I’m learning is ‘oh my goodness, we’re allowed to fly now!’ It’s exciting but it’s kind of scary too. There are no limitations. I’m a big believer that women get more empowered when we help other people.”
Inspiring women come from all walks of life
“I admire all those women who helped to forge the path and that is completely diverse. It could be anyone from Princess Diana, Mary Tyler Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Angela Merkel, of course Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga or Beyoncé.”
“It’s very exciting to wonder what happens now as women get stronger, as we are allowed to be as strong as we really are – that’s an extraordinary influence on the world,” the commentator admits.
You’re never too young to become a feminist
“My son, who is now 28, and daughter, who is 25, are both feminists.”
“I raised them as a single mother so their entire life they’ve been with a strong woman and seen what she’s capable of. They’ve seen bravery and that noting is an obstacle.”
Wonder Women airs on the World Movies channel at 8.30pm from Wednesday, 8 March until Sunday, 12 March
(Main image/Ann-Marie Calihanna)
