Goddess: Power, Glamour, Rebellion at ACMI

Decades before her Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, Michelle Yeoh played the formidable Yu Shu Lien in Ang Lee’s record-breaking wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). At ACMI’s new Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition, Goddess: Power, Glamour Rebellion, visitors can see Yeoh’s warrior-worthy, silver-screen silks in person.

Goddess is a landmark ACMI-curated exhibition that dives into and celebrates women and gender-transcending superstars throughout screen history. From silent-era icons and classic Hollywood heroines to memorable villains and Bollywood stars, Goddess presents a wide spectrum of women on screen who both define and disrupt ideas of femininity. Think Marlene Dietrich’s gender-transcendent performance in Morocco (1930) and Pam Grier’s boundary-smashing Blaxploitation roles, right through to recent Australian icons including Elaine Crombie in Kiki and Kitty (2017) and Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey (2020) – plus vibrant highlights from India, China and Japan’s cinematic histories.

Joining Michelle Yeoh in the costume displays are iconic outfits worn by Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise (1991). And speaking of Geena Davis, the exhibition coincides with the Being Seen on Screen conference where the Academy Award-winning actor and activist will be in attendance representing the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media – a world-leading institute aimed at researching and advocating for the representation of women on screen.

This is one ACMI blockbuster you won’t want to skip. Head to acmi.net.au to book your tickets today. – with special deals for families, groups and more.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with ACMI.