Join the Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies for a screening of Bad Ass Women Doing Kick Ass Shit , a feature-length documentary that won Best Director in 2024 at the Cannes 7th Art Awards. This compelling film spotlights the unique experiences of former Washington State Senator Mona Das and seven other BIPOC women as they ran for political office in the United States. Comprising a series of authentic, personal conversations, this film shines a light on the daily lives and struggles these magnetic women faced during their individual campaigns and efforts to challenge the traditional political elite status quo.

Following the screening there will be a panel discussion with this 12-time award winning film's creators and the women whose experiences they document. Come and learn more about what it takes to challenge the status quo of politics as usual and produce an independent film!

PANELISTS:

Mona Das (Former Washington State Senator and Executive Producer): Das champions sustainable solutions, racial equity, and women's empowerment. Her lived experience as a daughter of Indian immigrants who came to the U.S. with $6 fuels her passion to dismantle barriers. As Washington State Senator from 2018-2022, she achieved victories like the single-use plastics ban by forging coalitions across divides. As a woman of color, she faced roadblocks, giving insights into challenges women face as leaders. 

Abie Ekenezar (Producer/Director): Ekenezar is a Seattle-based actress, singer, screenwriter, and entertainment industry professional with IMDB credits since 2013. They have been involved in projects including the fantasy show Strowlers, released by Zombie Orpheus Entertainment, Grimm, Man in The High Castle, Librarians, Portlandia, JourneyQuest and Z-Nation, filmed in Spokane, WA. They also directed and produced, respectively, the film shorts Prefer-Racial Treatment and Outlawz.

A’Noelle Jackson (Producer): Originally from University Place, WA, Jackson moved to Los Angeles in 2018, where she worked on the Complex Networks production team with hip-hop artists such as Lil' Kim, Fat Joe, Rick Ross, and Coi Leray. In 2023 she was production manager for the Hulu campaign Black Stories Always. She is currently producing A Place Called Home, a documentary that highlights the beauty of Cajun and Creole culture and investigates the high cancer rates in the surrounding cities that house the most lucrative oil refineries in the U.S.

Nastasha Hill (Attorney, featured in the film) is the principal at her legal firm in Spokane, WA that focuses on civil litigation, business and entertainment law, and family law. She also operates Self-Help Legal Northwest, offering cost-effective limited legal services and support to self-represented clients. In 2023, she was named the interim editor of The Black Lens News. Natasha also coaches Gonzaga Law School’s Center for Civil and Human Rights moot court teams.
 
Leesa Manion (King County Prosecuting Attorney, featured in the film) is the first woman, person of color, and Asian American to be elected to this office in 2022. Prior to taking up this position, she served as Chief of Staff of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) for 15 years. Throughout her career, Leesa has implemented effective programs that have improved public safety, enhanced victim services, and reduced racial disproportionality. 

Amy Bhatt (Panel Moderator): Bhatt is received her PhD in Feminist Studies from the UW Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies in 2011. She is the author of High-Tech Housewives: Indian IT Workers, Gendered Labor, and Transmigration and co-author with Nalini Iyer of Roots and Reflections: South Asians in the Pacific Northwest. She coordinated the UW South Asian Oral History Project and served on the South Asian American Digital Archive’s Board of Directors, as well as guest curator at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry.