TWE Announces Films and Filmmakers

The aspirations, challenges and triumphs that define women’s lives around the globe are brought to the screen Through Women’s Eyes on April 10 and 11 at Regal Cinemas Hollywood 20, with encore screenings through April 18. Presented by the Gulf Coast Chapter of the US National Committee for UNIFEM, the annual event celebrates women filmmakers, increases awareness of women’s issues and raises money for the women’s fund at the United Nations.

For the first time, the Gulf Coast Chapter is partnering with the Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) to present both film programs from April 9 through 18. Through this partnership, two of the longest-running and prestigious film festivals in Sarasota hope to broaden and enrich the festival experience for filmgoers and filmmakers by presenting 160 domestic and international films during the 10-day festival.

Through Women’s Eyes (TWE) will present 10 documentaries and one short narrative selected from more than 150 entries by women directors. The stories they tell are as diverse and engaging as the women from nine countries portrayed in the 12 hours of film viewing.

Two women matadors emerge as gender pioneers in Spain. A Balinese midwife labors in post-tsunami Aceh. A singer ignites controversy as she competes to become Afghanistan’s pop idol. An immigrant from Mali seeks asylum to protect her young daughter from ritual excision. An American-Muslim attempts to prove herself as an undercover detective by solving a pig-napping case. Also featured in the selected films are a North Carolina debutante in training, a mother-daughter duo scouring the hills of Kentucky, a daughter of the Nazi era at the Berlin Memorial, an Israeli at a West Bank checkpoint and the villagers of the Niger Delta.

Eight TWE directors are slated to lead post-film discussions on April 10 and 11, and join filmgoers at the Filmmakers’ Reception fundraiser on April 10 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Urban Reef. They are Barbara Attie (Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter), Déjà Bernahrdt (Guerrilla Midwife), Sandy Cioffi (Sweet Crude), Gemma Cubero (Ella es el Matador), Kate Rhodes Kennedy (Debutante), Diane Mason (Bullfrogs On My Mind), Gerburg Rohde-Dahl (Ein Weites Feld) and Iman K. Zawahry (Undercover).

On March 19, tickets for Through Women’s Eyes, the Filmmakers’ Reception and the Sarasota Film Festival go on sale. All tickets can be purchased at the SFF Box Office, 1911 Main Street, Sarasota or online at www.sarasotafilmfestival.com. Also in March, the TWE film brochure and photo downloads will be posted on www.ThroughWomensEyes.com.

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