WHAT'S ON

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. As part of the activities recognizing the 16 Days Of Activism, The Directorate of Gender Affairs in partnership with August Rush Productions and Deluxe Theatre, will be conducting a local screening of Miss Representation on Tuesday 6th December at Deluxe, High Street, at 7:00 pm.

Following its premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, the documentary feature film Miss Representation has been widely screened during the summer and fall at schools, universities, corporations, government institutions, community organizations and film festivals around the world. The film made its broadcast premiere on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) on October 20, 2011.

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.  Although the film is focused mainly on the existing situation in North America, the subject matter is just as applicable in Antigua and the region on a whole. 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.

The distribution screening of the film Miss Representation coincides with a social action campaign led by MissRepresentation.org.  The campaign seeks to empower women and girls to challenge limiting labels in order to fully realize their potential, and ultimately transform our culture for the betterment of all.  A portion of the film proceeds will be donated to women’s leadership initiatives led by partnership beneficiaries that include Girls for A Change, Girls Inc., The International Museum of Women, Step Up Women’s Network, The Women’s Media Center, and The White House Project. Together with these partners, MissRepresentation.org is organizing hundreds of thousands of individuals to participate in a series of small actions that will ultimately lead to a cross-generational revolution to eradicate gender stereotypes and create lasting cultural and sociological change that will benefit not only women, but the world at large.

The Directorate and August Rush are excited to be a part of the campaign as they seek to educate specifically young boys and girls in Antigua on the importance and need to change the negative stereotypes associated with gender roles. Youth ages 11 to 18, parents, teachers, principals, NGO’s, community and youth groups, churches and ALL other interested individuals are encouraged to attend the screening;  a united front is the key to achieving changes in attitudes and images. The film is rated ‘G’ for general audiences.

After the screening, there will be a community / panel discussions lead by The Directorate’s Asha Challenger, August Rush Productions co-owner Zahra Airall and volunteer Floree Williams. Although entry to the screening is FREE, a donation of $5 would be accepted on the night, and will go towards covering screening expenses. Any assistance in this regard would be greatly appreciated. For more information you can call 720-6178/779-6634. You can also email augustrush.antigua@gmail.com or a.challenger@gmail.com.