2019 Programme

The Archivettes

Go behind the scenes of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, combating lesbian invisibility one story at a time

DIRECTOR:

Megan Rossman

PRODUCER:

Caroline Que

RELEASE YEAR:

2019

USA, 61 mins

“Our history was disappearing as quickly as we were making it.” 

With that realisation, Deborah Edel and Joan Nestle co-founded the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the world’s largest collection of materials by and about lesbians. 

Through many of the major milestones in LGBTQ+ history, the all-volunteer organization has literally rescued history from the trash, but even after more than 40 years of work, and with the co-founders in their mid-70s, the group still faces fresh challenges. 

The Archivettes is a documentary film that explores how this group came together to combat lesbian invisibility and create “a place that says yes.”