Karen Pickering is a feminist organiser, writer and public speaker – and also GOFF’s Festival Director! Karen is the first of our team to answer a few questions so you can get to know her better. We’ll be posting a few more of these over the next couple of weeks.

How’d you get involved in GOFF?

It was my dream event and after chatting about it with Ben and Gus at the George one day we all agreed it was possible with the right team. So here we are! It’s my first time directing a festival and it’s terrifying and wonderful.

Apart from GOFF, what are you working on now?

I host Cherchez la Femme on the first Tuesday of every month at the Duke of Wellington in the city, which is like a cross between The Late Show and Q&A but run by a woman with a drink in her hand. Basically a not-so-secret feminist cabal. I’m also co-producing a late night show for the Melbourne Fringe Festival, called Wham Bam, showcasing the talents of female performers across the genres (at the Provincial Hotel, September 17 to October 5 except Saturdays), and organising SlutWalk Melbourne for another year.

What’s one of your favourite moments involving a girl on film?

(SPOILER) I think the scene in Heathers where Veronica blows JD’s finger off is pretty bitchin’ but my absolute favourite is probably the final scene of Thelma and Louise. I’m such a romantic and that ending slays me every time. I also love Baby and Johnny’s first sex scene in Dirty Dancing and all the fights in Beaches.

What’s something you think GOFF brings to Melbourne’s film festival scene?

I think film festivals are mostly total dudefests. It might seem inevitable, given how rare women filmmakers are, but I’d like to see women directors (and male directors) with feminist sensibilities telling women’s stories in a way that is powerful and engaging, rather than dismissive or straight up hateful. Also, I am personally such a lowbrow kinda gal that most film festivals feel very impenetrable and overwhelming to me. Like for all my intellect I go to see films at other festivals and I just leave feeling confused and/or depressed. I love pop culture and I don’t feel ashamed for liking mainstream stuff, but I want to see feminism on screen. And I think it’s there! It just hasn’t been collected in one place and celebrated until now, so GOFF is here to change that.

If you could see a movie made about any real life woman who would it be?

Dolly Parton, a hundred percent.

Who’s one of your girl heroes?

There are so many but I always come back to Kathleen Hanna.