Following World War II, no-nonsense Antonia returns to the small Dutch village she was born in. In the decades that follow, she establishes and nurtures a close-knit matriarchal community on her farm, which becomes a home for the bullied and unconventional. Rejecting the traditional family unit, Antonia forms her own family, creating a line of mothers and daughters who are independent, creative and intelligent.
Incorporating the magic realism of Latin America, European philosophies of death, the realities of rural life, and cheerful feminism, Marleen Gorris' film is a charmingly subversive delight.
Antonia's Line won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
With one of the female characters being a mathematics protege, Antonia's Line touches upon the issue of gender imbalance in science. Despite the fact that this is by now well-documented and recognised as a problem, it remains a formidable challenge. The presentation will focus on unconscious gender bias in science.
