Young women of color take to the streets of East L.A. – on bicycles – to confront racism and violence and create safe spaces for women
“Ovarian Psycos” is a documentary about a new generation of young women of color from the Eastside of Los Angeles who are confronting injustice, building community, and redefining identity through a raucous, irreverently named bicycle crew: The Ovarian Psycos Cycle Brigade. Produced and directed by Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle, the film premieres on INDEPENDENT LENS Monday, March 27, 2017 on PBS.
“We were inspired to make this film because the women who make up the Ovarian Psycos collective are fierce, unapologetic, feminist women of color,” state co-directors Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle. “They are brilliant strategists and have crafted an image and politics that centers their own voices and stories as women of color emerging from Eastside Los Angeles – a deeply activist community with a long legacy of resistance – to fight against personal and collective gendered violence.”
Through the personal stories of the crew’s rabble-rousing founder, Xela de la X; street artist and original Ovarian Psyco, Andi Xoch; and a bright-eyed young woman from the neighborhood, Evelyn (Evie), the film traces how the “Ovas” emerged from the diverse, youthful, Latino, working class, immigrant neighborhoods of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles, a community situated within the historic legacy of the Chicano/a Civil Rights Movement.
“Funded by ITVS, the Ovarian Psycos remind us of the Chicano Power movement that emerged from L.A. in the late 1960s,” said Lois Vossen, INDEPENDENT LENS executive producer. “The cinematography of the rides helps us see why these women feel most protected and free while riding together. They challenge the stereotypical expectations of femininity as they confront the sexism, racism, and violence in their lives.”
WATCH ON YOUR SCHEDULE:
"Ovarian Psycos," which premiered at the 2016 South by Southwest Film Festival, will be available for online viewing beginning March 28, 2017.
Full episodes are available to view on demand for a limited time after broadcast. Extend your viewing window with KPBS Passport, video streaming available only to KPBS members ($60 + yearly) using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn more about this memeber benefit now.
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CREDITS:
Directed and produced by Joanna Sokolowski & Kate Trumbull-LaValle. Editor is Victoria Chalk. Additional Editor: Susan Metzger. Director of Photography is Michael Raines. Composer is Jimmy LaValle. “Ovarian Psycos” logo designed by Andi Xoch.
