Film that empowers young women to show at the Kiwanis Theatre for free

A trailer of this film is on the front page of the CKReview.

“Miss Representation” aims to end sexism in the media and empower women. The documentary film is to screen on February 27 at the Kiwanis Theatre. “Miss Representation” is presented in partnership with the Thames Art Gallery, The Chatham-Kent Public Library, Chatham-Kent Domestic Violence Committee, Adult Language and Learning, and the Women’s Leadership Council.

“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 début 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-profit organizations, religious groups, government organizations and communities are happening every day all over the world.

There will be a free screening of “Miss Representation” on Wednesday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kiwanis Theatre.

After the screening there will be a lecture and discussion in Studio One of the Cultural Centre. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, “Miss Representation” exposes how mainstream media contributes 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 crystallizes 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 give them 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 www.missrepresentation.org.

Girls’ Club Entertainment was founded by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, an actress, filmmaker, and the 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.

“Miss Representation” will be shown at the Kiwanis Theatre on Wednesday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. “Miss Representation” is presented in partnership with the Thames Art Gallery, The Chatham-Kent Public Library, Chatham-Kent Domestic Violence Committee, Adult Language and Learning, and the Women’s Leadership Council.

The Kiwanis Theatre and Cultural Centre are at 75 William Street North in Chatham. For more information go to www.misrepresentation.org, or call 519-360-1998.