A new documentary about the Ovarian Psyco-Cycle Brigade premiered to critical acclaim this month at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, reports Curbed Los Angeles
The film, titled “Ovarian Psycos,” documents the group made up of women of color who combine activism with bicycling through the streets of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. The women, who call themselves “Ovas,” often ride at night in places where women have been victims of violence, to show that they are fearless.
In a 2014 story, Boyle Heights Beat youth reporter Brizette Castellanos reported that the brigade sees “their bicycles as tools for empowerment. The group organizes bike rides to bring awareness to issues that affect women of color and working class backgrounds.”
In an interview with Fusion this month, Ovarian Psycos founder Xela de la X said: “We fight back against femicide, rape, the normalization of our disposability, [and] the war being played out upon our spaces.”
Fusion reports that members of the brigade were initially apprehensive when approached by filmmakers Kate Trumbull-La Valle and Joanna Sokolowski. The two women co-directed the documentary.
Here’s the film’s trailer:
Photo above by Rafael Cárdenas.
