"It makes perfect sense to find role models: none is more apt than the witch. The witch is the disobedient woman, the ‘bad’ woman. Her ethics are her own, not society’s and as a creature on the edges of society, she sees injustices that others don’t care about." – Christina Oakley Harrington

Women are still taking to the streets to march and rebel against male-dominated power structures, fighting with gusto for their voices and stories to be heard. With an eye on popular culture’s framing of social justice and stereotypes our Reclaiming The Witch season this November explores the many faces of the ultimate rebel: the witch. She is wily and wicked and has returned to our screens time and again. Most recently, she’s made a splash with anime hit Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Luca Guadagnino’s reimagining of Dario Argento’s 1977 classic Suspiria, and a forthcoming second adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. With so much mischief in the making, we’ve decided to take a deeper look at the character who's casting her spells online, at home, and on the big screen.

Join Watershed Cinema Producer Tara Judah, writer and curator Anna Bogustkaya (The Final Girls), film writer and PhD candidate (Birkbeck) Kelli Weston, and Associate Professor of Film Dr. Shelley Cobb (University of Southampton) for a discussion around the inner workings of this character and how she has captivated and intrigued filmmakers and audiences alike for decades.

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