Anthology Film Archives

Film Screenings / Programs / Retrospectives

THE WORLD OF BARBARA LODEN

July 25 – August 10

July 25-August 10, 2025

“I don’t want to get into the system as it exists, I want to create my own corner…” –Barbara Loden

Barbara Loden is best known as the director, writer, and star of the unforgettable American independent road film WANDA (1970), her only feature film. WANDA, a stunning work made on the cusp of feminism’s second wave, considers a woman wanderer who abandons her life as a miner’s wife and mother, electing to drift through middle America, until she becomes ensnared with several terrible men. Long difficult to see, WANDA has recently gained cult status, emblematic of all the films by women that remained unknown, unseen, and unmade. But Loden’s life and body of work point to many different dimensions of her visionary imagination. Taking a deep dive into Loden’s larger career and creative process, this retrospective explores her work as an actor and director in Hollywood and on its margins; in educational films, television, and theatrical productions; as well as unfolding some of WANDA’s cultural and social contexts and Loden’s wider influences. Loden’s life and work open a portal to two decades of industrial transformations, feminist urgencies, and double binds, revealing the stakes of filmmaking labor for women artists who sought, against the odds, to leave their mark. The constellation of WANDA’s genealogies and Loden’s legacies continue to inspire generations of filmmakers, writers, and artists.

This series is guest-programmed by Elena Gorfinkel, author of the recently published “Wanda” (BFI Film Classics/Bloomsbury 2025) and Reader in Film Studies at King’s College London. For more info about the book, visit: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/wanda-9781839023064/ 

All program notes by Elena Gorfinkel.

An earlier version of this program, “Wanda & Beyond: The World of Barbara Loden”, was presented at the British Film Institute in June 2025.

Upcoming Screenings

< Back to Series