A couple Saturday's ago, the Berlin Feminist Film week hosted a screening and panel discussion in Neukölln’s CRCLR House for Fattitude, a documentary created by Lindsey Averill and Viri Lieberman that “exposes how popular culture fosters fat prejudice and then offers an alternative way of thinking”.

The documentary included honest and thorough conversations with academic scholars, activists, directors, writers, actors and psychologists: Rebecca Phul, Marilyn Wann, Sonya Renee Taylor, Virgie Tovar, Jen Posner, Lindy West, Ricki Lake, and Winne Holzman to name a few.

The feature length documentary asks viewers to consider how media encourages weight bias, how prevalent body and fat shaming still currently are in popular culture and offer alternative ways to perceive and adopt body positivity for all sizes. There was an ongoing narrative that not fitting a stereotypical size gives the person outside of that stereotype the sense that they do not exist.

Following the screening, Lindsey Averill, the director, along with local activists, Magda Albrecht and Natalie Rosenke, took part in a panel discussion involving bodies, media and public discourse.

Fattitude is educational and empowering in its questions and statements regarding body image. Those involved with the film asks necessary and relevant questions to today’s issues in hopes to improve the human condition. It’s clear why the documentary generates such important discussion after finishing the film: these intelligent and insightful perspectives offer a unique vulnerability. Most people are afraid to engage in topics involving body image, fat shaming and unhealthy cultural trends. Through the honesty involved in the documentary, it provides an open platform for viewers to discuss their own experiences and further the conversation. That’s what great documentaries do.

Find upcoming screening dates and locations here:

http://fattitudethemovie.squarespace.com/local-screenings/