Bianca Rauch

Gerda Lerner: Film, Politics and Activism. Gerda Lerner (1920–2013) is widely recognized as a pioneering feminist historian, yet her contributions to film remain largely understudied. This project addresses a critical gap by examining her involvement in independent filmmaking, political activism, and the intersection of Jewish and Black civil rights alliances during the McCarthy era and beyond. Her screenwriting and other film-related work—such as Black Like Me (1964) and Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (1957)—reflect a deep commitment to social justice and a drive to challenge dominant historical narratives – an ethos profoundly shaped by her early experiences under Austro-fascism and National Socialism.

Bianca Jasmina Rauch is a film critic and scholar whose work focuses on the politics of representing pasts and presents on screen.