Idaho Mountain Express: With investments in women, the world wins

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

With investments in women, the world wins

Family of Woman Film Festival forges new partnership

By YANNA LANTZ
Express Staff Writer

    It is estimated that preventable pregnancy-related deaths kill approximately 289,000 girls and women every year. That’s nearly 800 women a day. The Family of Woman Film Festival has developed a partnership with the global advocacy organization Women Deliver to work together to bring awareness to this issue and other problems facing today’s women.
   Five international films about exceptional women and girls will be shown in 2015 during the eighth annual Family of Woman Film Festival. Afterwards, there will be a discussion with the filmmakers and subjects of the films.
   “Women and Their Dreams” will be the theme for this coming year.
   “For so many years, most of the films we screened were focused on the harsh realities of life for women and opening American eyes to the truths of living in a Third World country,” said festival Co-Chair Stephanie Freid-Perenchio. “With ‘hope’ on the rise, we wanted to show that dreams do come true for women. ... It’s not only telling the heartbreaking stories, it’s also about telling the feel-good stories.”
   Each film presented at the festival over the past seven years has been of high artistic merit, and many have gone on to win or be nominated for major awards including Oscars and Emmys. Despite the accolades, the main purpose of the festival has been to raise awareness of important social issues and the work of the United Nations Population Fund, whose mission is to assure women and girls have access to reproductive health care, education and basic human rights.
   In order to shed light on these topics, Sun Valley resident Peggy Elliott Goldwyn founded the Family of Woman Film Festival in 2008.
   “When you try to explain these topics, eyes glaze over,” said Goldwyn. “When you see a moving film about the same topics, people say, ‘Oh, I get it.’”

“Film has the power to tell the stories that most need to be heard—particularly those of girls and women.”
Katja Iversen
Women Deliver

   For 2015, the festival will operate with its new fiscal partner, Women Deliver. A leading global advocate for girls’ and women’s health, rights and well-being, Women Deliver brings together diverse voices, interests and constituencies from around the world. Its mission is to improve the lives of girls and women in their communities.
   “Film has the power to tell the stories that most need to be heard—particularly those of girls and women,” said Women Deliver CEO Katja Iversen. “We are thrilled to be working together with the Family of Woman Film Festival to help spread awareness about the most pressing issues girls and women face today. When we all invest in girls and women, everybody wins.”
   Additionally in 2015, Boise State University will expand its partnership with the Family of Woman Film Festival. Festival organizers plan to bring several of the films and filmmakers to BSU. Students and professors will also attend the festival in Sun Valley next March.
   “We’re proud and excited to bring these diverse and inspiring stories of women’s struggles and triumphs from around the world to Boise, and the Boise State community,” said Stephanie Bacon, coordinator for the Boise State program.
   Freid-Perenchio hopes that each person who attends a film or session from the festival can start a dialogue with their friends, family and co-workers on what they have seen, experienced and how they feel.
   “Good, bad or indifferent, as long as people are talking, awareness is being set,” she said.
   Goldwyn is proud of the support her community has given. People have “embraced our message, and we’ve been able to partner with so many local organizations, as well as to bring speakers and filmmakers into Blaine County schools,” she said.
   Witness and be moved by compelling stories of women from around the globe—fighting for and achieving their dreams. The Family of Woman Film Festival will take place at the Sun Valley Opera House from Feb. 26 through March 1, 2015. Due to subject matter, recommended audience is high school students and older. The full list of films and speakers will be announced by Christmas.

    For more information, visit www.familyofwomanfilmfestival.org.

For more information on Women Deliver, visit www.womendeliver.org.
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