Rutgers Hosts Women's History Film Festival

NEWARK, NJ - Women In Media-Newark will present “Of the Spirit,” their 2nd annual Women's History Month Film Festival March 3 – 5, 2011 at the Paul Robeson Student Center, Rutgers – Newark, with a special screening taking place at the Newark Public Library on March 3.. Working in conjunction with Rutgers Program of Women and Gender Studies symposium on religion, the international array of films all focus on the spirit of the divine that allows women to thrive and achieve, often in spite of harrowing conditions. In addition to the film screenings, festival activities will feature filmmaker interviews, panel discussion, vendors, and a special Afro-Brazilian dance demonstration by dance professional Angelica Cassimaro, winner of the 2006 Star Ledger Performing Arts Scholarship. A native of Brazil, and a recent graduate of the Dance program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Angelica is sure to delight the audience with her authentic dance display.

The film festival is free and open to the public. Feature films include Jennifer Jessum's "Finding God In the City of Angels," which is a comprehensive survey of the myriad religions - mainstream, indigenous and completely alternative - that one finds in Los Angeles; Laslo Faria's "A Cidade das Mulheres," which, influenced by the work of anthropologist Ruth Landes, looks at Candomble in Bahia, Brazil; and Lisa F. Jackson's award winning "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo". Four inspiring film shorts round out the offerings. Panel discussions will follow "A Cidade das Mulheres" and "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo," and interviews with the film makers will accompany the short films.

A reception will conclude the festival on Saturday, March 5th where community service awards will be given to Marcia Brown, Vice Chancellor of Rutgers – Newark; Gloria Buck of the Newark Black Film Festival; Gladys Grauer, artist/arts educator; Joyce Wilson-Harley, Essex County Administrator; and Patricia Kettenring, founder of Glass Roots and and on faculty at the Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.

Women In Media-Newark is hosting this festival with sponsorship from Rutgers – Newark, and the Zonta Club of Essex County.

About WIM-N:
Women In Media – Newark is an organization that advocates for and educates the public about issues affecting the lives of women using film, video and new media as our platform. Merging culture and academia, we rally behind our sisters who courageously struggle to assume leadership roles in the film industry with their conscious effort to present a balanced image of women, dispelling the stereotypes, and changing public perception of their sisters worldwide.