Documentary film aims to end sexism in the media and empower women
Brought to Rockwall by the Rockwall Soroptimist Club
October 17, 2012 – Miss Representation first premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival where it caught the eye of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. It made its television debut as part of the OWN documentary film club in October 2011, with over 1.3 million people tuning in to its multiple airings. Additional screenings with corporations, non-profits, religious groups, government organizations and communities are happening every day all over the world.
Local Screening
There will be a local screening of Miss Representation at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 8 at Heath High School Performing Arts Center, 801 Lawrence Drive in Heath, 75032.
After the screening, there will be community / panel discussion lead by KEOM Radio Show Host Erin Kincaid of the ChicChat with Erin on 88.5.
Panelists will include local leaders in the Rockwall community and represent the five major sectors of society: Civic Service, Non-Profit, Faith-based, Corporate and the Media. Panelists will include Misti Poster of the Boys & Girls Club, Karen Coughlin from Hilton Hotels, and Holly Barron of the Quest Church.
Presale tickets can be ordered online through missrepsoroptimistrockwall.eventbrite.com or by visiting Providence Place Bridal Shop at The Harbor Rockwall. Pre-sale tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. At the door tickets will be $15 for adults; $5 for students. All proceeds from ticket sales are used to help a local non-profit that works with women who have been trafficked.
Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Miss Representation exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.
Miss Representation includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Rosario Dawson, Jackson Katz, Jean Kilbourne, and Gloria Steinem. The film offers startling facts and statistics that will leave audiences shaken and armed with a new perspective.
“We are thrilled to have so many outreach opportunities for Miss Representation. This film was made to be a change agent in our culture, to inspire both women and men to recognize women’s collective voice, leadership capacity and equal rights,” says Newsom.
In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality–and not in her capacity as a leader. While women have made strides in leadership over the past few decades, the U.S. is 90th in the world in terms of women in national legislatures, women hold only 3 % of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have disordered eating.
Miss Representation was selected from the Sundance line-up to be part of the OWN Documentary Film Club. “Through personal stories and provocative interviews, Jennifer crystalizes the relevance of the media and its portrayal of women in today’s society,” said Lisa Erspamer, Chief Creative Officer for OWN. In addition, ro*co films will distribute Miss Representation to educational institutions (K-12 institutions, universities and libraries) located in the United States and Canada.
The distribution of the film Miss Representation has been the catalyst for a social action campaign led by MissRepresentation.org. The campaign seeks to empower women and girls and provide them with new opportunities to realize their full potential.
MissRepresentation.org is igniting a cross-generational movement to shift the cultural mindset of communities, interrupt and stop patterns of sexism, change the way women and girls are represented in the media and ensure a tipping point that will lead to gender parity in leadership throughout the United States. Join the campaign at missrepresentation.org.
About Girls’ Club Entertainment
Girls’ Club Entertainment was founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom – actress, filmmaker, and former First Lady of San Francisco. It was formed as an umbrella entertainment company to develop and produce independent films with strong social, political, and cultural significance focused primarily on empowering women.
Submitted by Erin Kincaid, KEOM Radio Show Host on 88.5.
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