No Man’s Land Festival Celebrates Female Empowerment

Story posted March 29, 2019 in CommRadio, News by Rachel Darata

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Women’s History Month was celebrated on the big screen last week at the No Man’s Land Film Festival on Wednesday night. The festival, which was hosted by the Penn State Outing Club, featured action packed clips of women taking on nature –  whether hiking mountains, competing in BMX races or shredding waves.

For a club based on exploring the outdoors, the night was more than just a way to celebrate women. Kate McBrair, a member of the Outing Club, said events like No Man’s Land can help get more women involved in the organization.

“We are always looking to get more women in PSOC,” McBrair said. “[Because] It’s definitely like, way back when, to be like a very male-based club, and now like it’s very exciting to see more diversity.”

No Man’s Land showed women nearing their 40s as well as girls as young as eleven taking part in extreme sports. It also included women from all areas of the world.

Alexis Cherewka attended the festival and said she was impressed by the diversity in the film.

“I think it showed a lot of different perspectives of women in the outdoors, and so instead of continuing one narrative the whole time, giving different ways of seeing it,” she said.

Although there were varying narratives, there was one underlying message for women to be taken from the film. Shirin Gerami, Iran’s first female triathlete and one of the women featured Wednesday night, said challenging yourself through things like sports can lead to self-discovery.

“Our fears prohibit us from discovering so much about ourselves,” Gerami said. “One of the best things that has happened to me is sports, it’s the journey through sports, it’s the physical, it’s the mental, the spiritual side the sport brings.”

 

 

Rachel Darata is a freshman majoring in telecommunications. To contact her, email rjd5743@psu.edu.