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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ___________________________________________________________________________ MISS REPRESENTATION: THE DOCUMENTARY FILM AIMS TO END SEXISM IN THE MEDIA AND EMPOWER WOMEN Public Screening in honour of International Women’s Month on March 23, 2015 at the University of the West Indies. KINGSTON, JA, March 19, 2015 -‐ 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 with over 1.3 million people tuning in to its multiple broadcasts. Additional screenings with corporations, non-‐profits, religious groups, government organizations and communities are happening every day all over the world. The film includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with famous politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Jane Fonda, Rosario Dawson, Cory Booker, 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. www.missrepresentation.org 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 females of all ages, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel empowered. “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 talents, skills and capacity as a leader. While women have made strides in leadership over the past few decades, the playing field is still not level. The glass ceiling remains difficult to crack. The distribution of the film has been the catalyst for a social action campaign led by MissRepresentation.org. The campaign seeks to empower women of all ages and provide them with new opportunities to realize their full potential. 84 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 10, Jamaica W.I
Ph 876 5074548
Local Screening: In support of their on-‐going work in women’s empowerment, and in celebration of International Women’s Day, Nadine Spencer, Ambassador to the Representation Project, along with community partners, will host a debut screening of the award-‐winning documentary Miss Representation in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday, March 23, starting at 6:00 p.m. The screening will be free of charge to attendees, and will take place in the lecture theatre, Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies, Mona. Community partners include Canada's High Commissioner to Jamaica, Kazembe & Associates, Nursing and Homemakers Inc., University of the West Indies, BrandEq Group, Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), Eckler (Consultants + Actuaries), BrandEq Group, and The Gleaner Company Limited. Following the screening, issues presented by the film will be discussed by a panel comprising film director Storm Saulter, Kay Osborne (CEO of Kay Osborne Associates Ltd.), Aubyn Hill (CEO of Corporate Strategies Ltd.), Dr. Pamela Appelt (Retired Citizenship Court Judge, Canada), Kamina Johnson Smith (Attorney and Senator), Marlene Malahoo Forte (Senator), Pat Ramsay (AL Harvard Fellow 2014, Director, International Women’s Forum). Television broadcaster, Fae Ellington, will moderate the panel. “I am pleased to see this film screened in Jamaica, and am proud to be involved in this dialogue. This is a step in the right direction, and will have an influence on how women are viewed in Jamaica in the future,” said Nadine Spencer. “The issue of women’s representation and accessible pathways to leadership is quite important, and both the film and panel will inspire constructive conversation. Conversation is a critical part of the solution.” 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 are represented in the media and ensure a tipping point that will lead to gender parity in leadership. The media is invited to attend the screening and cover the post-‐screening panel discussion. If you would like to attend, please contact Tasheena Mangal, Email: [email protected]. Phone: 876 507 4548. To view full media kit associated with this press release, please visit the following link: www.brandeq.com/events. -‐30-‐ Media Inquiries: BrandEQ Group Tasheena Mangal Public Relations Ph: 876 507 4548 [email protected] 84 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 10, Jamaica W.I
Ph 876 5074548