Street Heroines is a collection of stories that celebrate female street artists who are transforming the urban environment in colorful ways. Filmmaker Alexandra Henry was inspired to start the documentary project while living in São Paulo in 2011, where there’s a vibrant street art scene.
“Whether visually protesting socio-political injustices or spreading messages of empathy, these women are using creativity to persevere social ignorance and find their own voices in the male-dominated world of graffiti and street art,” Alexandra explained. “My goal with this project, simply put, is to promote awareness about the flourishing global community of female street artists and encourage others to find their creative voice.”
For the past three and a half years Alexandra has interviewed and captured the personal stories of more than two dozen women with diverse backgrounds from over 10 different countries.
From Lady Pink, the first woman to paint entire subway train cars in the 1980s, to WYSK Miss 163, and seminal photographer Martha Cooper whose work legitimized graffiti as an art form, the artists featured in the film are changing our relationship to the urban landscape, and the way we interact with public space.
“With more and more women leaving their mark on the movement,” Alexandra adds, “Street Heroines pays a long overdue tribute to their contributions, and reflects a global shift in perspective of who we are as a society.”
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