In conjunction with BendFilm and Saving Grace, Stacey Dodson, a local mentor and business leader, is bringing Miss Representation to Bend on October 23. This powerful documentary is focused on how the media’s misrepresentations of women and girls have led to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence.
Dodson said, “As a mom with a teenage daughter, I wanted to bring this film to our community because I think the message is powerful and is one that should be heard and seen by women, men, boys and girls.”
Doors will open at 6pm. The screening will start promptly at 7pm on October 23 at Bend High School and will benefit both BendFilm and Saving Grace. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased online at bendfilm.org or at the door. After the screening, there will be a community discussion lead by Dr. Elizabeth Daniels, assistant professor at Oregon State University Cascades.
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.
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 percent of clout positions in mainstream media, and 65 percent 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 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 www.missrepresentation.org.
Saving Grace provides comprehensive family violence and sexual assault services and promotes the value of living life free from violence. Our services for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors are designed to help them with the healing process and to provide them with resources to regain control of their lives. Our services for professionals and community members help them identify abuse and how to respond so future abuse can be prevented.
Tickets: bendfilm.org
