Oxford Film Festival 2011

Southern Belle documents Tennessee’s Athenaeum Girls’ School where young women learn to be “true ladies” by reenacting the life of a southern belle on the eve of secession in July 1861. While the instructors hope to instill a pride in southern heritage, critics charge them with whitewashing history and misinforming the next generation. As we begin the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Southern Belle captures the divisive historical memory of an American subculture and challenges us to consider how a romantic portrayal of the past can affect current attitudes of race and gender.