‘This video composition looks at the shifting narratives of women in the workplace and representations of “women's work” and “men’s work”. The piece is a combination of footage from the 1940s to the 1990s. Our aim is to present and to question media representations of gendered roles in the workplace and the home as depicted on television in Northern Ireland.’

Laura O'Connor and Rose Baker of WANDA 

To read the full essay WORK: 'Having it All' visit http://www.wandabelfast.com/work.html  

WANDA is a feminist film festival that takes place annually in Belfast. It was created in 2016 to bring new and archive films by female-identifying filmmakers to a diverse audience, to support women working in the film industry and to raise awareness of women's rights issues in Ireland, north and south. Since then, WANDA has had three editions and welcomed guest filmmakers from across Ireland and around the world. Its two directors are Rose Baker, film programmer at Belfast Film Festival and Docs Ireland, and artist and academic Laura O'Connor whose work exhibits internationally and is currently resident at the Science Gallery, Dublin.

Fiona McDonnell is a Belfast-based freelance illustrator with a distinct and colourful style of work. Often accompanied by commentary and self-reflection on social issues, music, film, or whatever else she may be interested in at the time. You can see her full portfolio at www.fionamcdonnell.co.uk

Video and essay by Laura O'Connor and Rose Baker of WANDA. 

Artwork by Fiona McDonnell.

Commissioned by Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive.

Archive Credits:

Counterpoint: The New Family (1991) copyright ITV

Ulster At Arms (1944) copyright IWM

Life After School: It’s a Man’s World (1986) copyright ITV

Kennedy’s Bread (c.1960s) copyright Kennedy

Counterpoint: A Woman’s Worth (1988) copyright ITV

• Fiona McDonnell website
• WANDA website