Hi this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

It’s been a tradition for generations of young women: waiting for the weekend, and then letting loose with a vengeance – going out, partying, and drinking like a fish. The bumps, bruises and blackouts can all be written off as collateral damage, a necessary side-effect of having fun.

It’s called binge drinking and it’s a popular part of youth culture, reinforced through popular music, social networking and the clever use of marketing. But more and more young women are finding their “girls’ night out” fraught with problems.

Girls’ Night Out is also the name of a new documentary that looks at young women and binge drinking. Based on the book Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston, it looks at the role binge drinking and alcohol culture plays in their lives – and the dangers it poses to health, self-image and safety. It follows its subjects – women who say they like to go binge drinking and those who have given it up — and shares their frank confessions.

The documentary is directed by award-winning Toronto filmmaker Phyllis Ellis. It premiers on CBC TV’s Firsthand on February 25th. I spoke to Phyllis at CIUT 89.5 FM about binge drinking, young women, consent, body image, long-term effects, short-term dangers, Big Alcohol… and more!