A Candid Conversation with the Filmmaker Behind a Smart, Fearless New Documentary
Menopause has long been treated as a whisper topic—but filmmaker Kate Green is done being quiet about it. Her debut feature documentary, Menopause: Coming in Hot, is smart, unapologetically funny, and rooted in real lived experience, reframing menopause as an empowering life transition rather than something to endure in silence. Ahead of its Victoria Film Festival screening at Capitol 6—a deeply full-circle moment for the Victoria-born director—Kate opens up about storytelling, stigma, and why it’s time for a more honest, human conversation around women’s health. —Noa Nichol
You describe Menopause: Coming in Hot as “smart and bitingly funny.” Why was humour essential for telling this story, especially around a topic so often treated with discomfort or silence?
Humour has always been one of the most important ways I communicate what I want to say. Frankly, being a woman can be absurd sometimes—and you either laugh or you cry. Comedy holds a lot of truth, and this film absolutely delivers some truth bombs. Humour helps disarm people, lowers the shame, and makes difficult conversations feel accessible.
This film was inspired by your own experience navigating perimenopause. How did stepping in front of the story—as both filmmaker and subject—change the way you approached vulnerability on screen?
I’ve spent the last twenty-plus years behind the camera, so stepping in front of the lens—especially with such personal subject matter—was nerve-wracking, to say the least. As a director, you’re trained to maintain perspective and distance from your subject. That becomes incredibly difficult when you are the subject. It forced me to confront vulnerability in a very real way and trust that honesty was more important than control.
Menopause is often framed as something to “get through” rather than a life stage to understand. What narrative did you feel was missing most when you began researching this film?
The biggest missing narrative was power. Women at this stage of life have an extraordinary amount of experience and knowledge. Yes, our bodies are changing, and for many of us, we don’t feel great—but this is also one of the most powerful and influential periods of our lives. Menopause has historically been framed as decline: you’re no longer attractive, no longer useful, no longer fertile. I wanted women to look in the mirror and see not an “old crone,” but a queen—a goddess.
You’ve spoken about how overwhelming and fragmented menopause information can be. What surprised you most once you began speaking with experts and other women for the documentary?
What shocked me most was learning that, until very recently, GPs in British Columbia received virtually no training in menopause—and for the most part, specialists didn’t either. That is beginning to change, thankfully. UBC has just announced it will include menopause curriculum in its medical program, which is a huge step forward for women’s health and care.
The film carries a strong sense of empowerment rather than fear. Was that tone intentional from the start, or did it emerge naturally through the stories you encountered?
The film begins with me trying to take control and advocate for my own health, so there was always a kernel of empowerment there. But as I moved through the process—appointments, scans, interviews—that sense of strength really grew. I made a conscious decision for the film to build emotionally, so that by the end, women might be standing up, cheering, and saying, “Hell yeah, sister.”
With over a billion women worldwide postmenopausal, why do you think menopause remains so misunderstood—medically, culturally, and generationally?
This is something we investigate directly in the film. For decades, medical research has been based almost entirely on the male body—the “default” human specimen. As a result, we have very little research on what happens to women during this stage of life. There’s been significant interest in women’s bodies during reproduction, but once a woman is no longer able to do that, the interest and research has largely waned.
This project is deeply personal, but it also touches on broader economic and workplace implications. Why was it important for you to connect menopause to systems beyond healthcare?
Because most of us don’t live our lives inside the healthcare system. I wanted audiences to see a regular person navigating the system—and the broader ripple effects of that experience. There are real economic and workplace implications: loss of productivity, increased absenteeism, and financial consequences for employers when accommodations aren’t made for women going through this stage of life.
The film features voices from multiple generations. What do you hope younger viewers—who may not yet be thinking about menopause—take away from watching it?
For me, menopause was shrouded in mystery. It was always, “Oh, don’t worry—you’ll get there soon enough,” and that was it. That lack of information really affected how I entered this stage of life. I don’t think young women need to know everything—especially if they’re teens or in their twenties—but by your thirties and forties, having some foundational understanding of menopause can make a huge difference.
Screening your first feature documentary at Capitol 6 feels like a full-circle moment. What does bringing this film home to Victoria mean on a personal and creative level?
I spent so many years as a teenager and in my twenties going to Capitol 6. I watched films like Star Wars, Gremlins, Jaws, Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, and Forrest Gump there. I remember walking out of the theatre feeling transported, letting the experience linger all the way home. More than anything, I hope people feel that way after seeing this film. I hope people leave the theatre letting their thoughts linger—having a laugh, maybe a cry—and feeling open to conversation. Bringing it home to Victoria—especially as part of the Victoria Film Festival—means the world to me. The support here is truly unbelievable.
If audiences walk out of the theatre having one conversation they wouldn’t have had before seeing this film, what do you hope that conversation is?
Maybe it’s finally talking about what’s been going on for them and realizing they are not alone. Maybe it’s a conversation with a partner. This film isn’t just for women; it’s for men, too—especially those with partners going through menopause. And frankly, taking your partner to this film will earn you a lot of brownie points. I hope to see everyone there.
share:
Be the first to comment