In this episode of Femmecult Radio, I interview writer, filmmaker, artist and all around effective troublemaker, Jex Blackmore. She is well known for her confrontational performance art pieces which are usually held in civic spaces. Her work addresses the links between moral religious rhetoric, sexuality, and political policy.  [Religion] is a powerful form of manipulation where even the act of questioning is deemed sinful and something you can be condemned to an eternity of punishment for. It has a profound effect on the capacity for people to be curious, and inquire and challenge the established power structure. From Femmecult Radio Episode 018, Interview with Jex Blackmore “Sanctions of the Cross” was a response to an anti-choice protest held at a Planned Parenthood location in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Good Friday. The procession was a testament to the burden of oppressive mandates endured by women who are forced to consider the religious opinions of the legislature while making personal family planning decisions. (from www.jexblackmore.com) She has often been the target of protest by the Catholic Church for her outspoken and confrontational work. She has also been called a tireless crusader for bodily autonomy, in that her work seeks to interrogate oppressive social institutions and ideas that undermine reproductive rights, and the freedom of women to choose what happens to their own bodies. She has been featured in many publications including TIME, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, NPR, Cosmopolitan and Salon, and was featured in the 2019 documentary “Hail Satan?” Her reproductive rights advocacy has ranged from disrupting anti-choice rallies to debating the Westboro Baptist Church and her recent exhibition in Detroit, “Sex Militant”, was listed as one of the best art exhibitions of 2019 by the Chicago Reader. …you have this systemic oppression of people who are not...

Emily Esperanza is a non-binary filmmaker and artist whose work questions the conventional narrative of storytelling to bring progressive ideas into focus. Their work has been screened at festivals all over the United States and has won many awards of excellence. Their 2018 film Make Out Party was the official selection for several film festivals including the Las Vegas Queer Arts Festival, and also winning the award for most innovative short film at the 23rd Annual TWIST Seattle Queer Film Festival in Seattle, WA. Make Out Party (2018) Esperanza is currently working on a feature length film called LOTERÍA, drawing from experience producing films that explore themes of youthful rebellion and the celebration of underground culture. Our conversation gets into everything from the importance of presenting familiar archetypes and heros clothed in different skin to their experiences of developing and listening to intuition while on set. Please join me, your host Christina Broussard aka SciFiSol Music, for this conversation with an innovative young filmmaker who uses their brilliant directorial eye to create works that have already been compared to many notable cult film directors of underground cinema. Take a look at Esperanza on Vimeo as well for more information about her work. Thanks for listening! You can subscribe and listen to the Femmecult podcast on Mixcloud, iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher and our hosted episode page. Make Out Party (2018) Additional credit for material used in the podcast: Make Out Party (2018) and SPIDER AND FLY (2013). The song featured in the excerpt of MOP is ‘Riot’ by Glamour...