Official Selection OWN Documentary Film Club

MISS REPRESENTATION

A Film by Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Like drawing back a curtain to let bright light stream in, Miss Representation uncovers a glaring reality we live with every day but fail to see. Directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film explores how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in influential positions in America and challenges the media's limiting and often disparaging portrayals of women, which make it difficult for the average girl to see herself as powerful.

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. While women have made strides in leadership over the past few decades, the United States still ranks 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, depression rates have doubled among teenage girls, and cosmetic surgery on minors has more than tripled in the last ten years.

Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, academics, and activists like Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave the audience shaken and armed with a new perspective.

Official Selection, Oprah Winfrey Network Documentary Film Club

· To gift an educational DVD to a school near you, please send an email to: Kristin Cooney.
· The Educational DVD may only be purchased for use at accredited K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and libraries located in the U.S. and Canada, and screenings must take place on campus (the rights are site-specific). If you or your organization falls outside of those categories (regardless of educational elements to your programs), please contact Angela Hale at Miss Representation directly to obtain the rights for your screening.
· If you would you like to invite Jennifer Siebel Newsom to be part of an event or screening at your school, please send an email to: Kristin Cooney.


DVD FEATURES:
· Running time: 90 minutes
· Learn more about the Miss Representation: Youth Education Curriculum
· Customized video modules for High School, Middle School, and Elementary School audiences
· Educator's Supplement (PDF to be electronically delivered via email)

FAQ:
  • What Does The Educational Version Include?
    • The Miss Representation Educational DVD includes the feature film as well customized versions for K-3, 4-5, middle school, and high school audiences. A comprehensive Educator's Supplement is also included that features age appropriate film clips, definitions of relevant concepts, reflection exercises, discussion questions, in-class activities, and homework suggestions.

      The modules are sequenced to build upon the outcomes of previous Lessons and teachers can incorporate the curriculum into existing instruction or build upon it for a dedicated medialiteracy class.

  • I Want To Show Miss Representation At My School/Classroom. How Can I Organize A Screening?
    • In order to host an educational screening of your own, all that you need to do is purchase a Miss Representation Educational DVD that also includes the public performance rights that you need in order to legally screen the film for a public audience. Unfortunately we are not able to lend, rent, or lease out the film for any educational screening. This version of the film is $295 and includes the following:

      1. Unlimited Public Performance Rights (meaning that you can host multiple screenings on your campus)

      2. Feature-length version of the film (90 minutes)

      3. Customized footage and modules for the following age groups:
              1. High School
              2. Middle School
              3. 4-5th grade
              4. K-3rd grade
      4. Educator’s Supplement (80 pages)

      *This is also the version to purchase if you wish to use the film in a university classroom setting.

      This version can be purchased online here.

      Checks and purchase orders are also accepted, so if you would rather purchase using another method, please contact Kristin Cooney directly at Kristin@rocofilms.com or 415.332.6471 x204.

      If you would ONLY like to use the film in a small K-12 classroom setting at one school, then you may purchase the educational DVD at the reduced price of $95 here.

      This version includes everything listed above except the necessary licensing to use the film on a college campus and/or to host a larger school or community event.

  • What's The Difference Between The $295 And $95 Version?
    • In terms of content, there are no differences between the University and K-12 versions of the Educational DVD. The price difference is a result of the fact that the $295 version includes public performance rights necessary to use the film in a university classroom setting, for a screening on a college campus, and/or for any larger event planned on a K-12 campus that includes parents, faculty, the entire school, etc. The K-12 DVD is only to be used in a small K-12 classroom setting at one school.
  • Once I Purchase The DVD, How Long Will It Take To Receive It?
    • Please allow three weeks to receive your DVD in the mail. If you require expedited shipping, please contact Kristin Cooney directly at Kristin@rocofilms.com or 415.332.6471 x204.
FEATURED IN THE FILM:

Caroline Heldman, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science: Occidental College
Condoleezza Rice, PhD, Former U.S. Secretary of State, Senior Fellow: Hoover Institution, Professor of Political Economy: Stanford University
Dianne Feinstein, U. S. Senator, California
Dolores Huerta, Activist & President, Dolores Huerta Foundation
Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning Actor & Founder of See Jane
Gloria Steinem, Feminist Organizer & Writer
Jackson Katz, PhD, Educator, Filmmaker: Tough Guise Author, The Macho Paradox
Jane Fonda, Academy Award-winning Actor & Activist
Jean Kilbourne, EdD, Filmmaker: Killing Us Softly, Author & Senior Scholar: Wellesley Centers for Women
Jennifer Pozner, Executive Director: Women in Media and News, Author: Reality Bites Back
Katie Couric, Anchor: CBS Evening News
Lisa Ling, Executive Producer & Host: OWN's Our America
M. Gigi Durham, PhD, Author: The Lolita Effect, Associate Professor of Journalism: University of Iowa
Margaret Cho, Comedienne, Actor & Activist
Martha Lauzen, PhD, Executive Director: Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film: San Diego State University
Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative: California, Former Speaker of the House
Pat Mitchell, President & CEO Paley Center for Media
Rachel Maddow, Host: MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show
Rosario Dawson, Activist & Actor: Rent, Seven Pounds
...among many other incredible women and men of all walks of life!


The Miss Representation: Youth Education Curriculum equips students with the critical thinking skills to question the messages bombarding them daily in mainstream media. It also empowers teachers and parents with the tools to converse with children and young adults about their media consumption and its’ impact on their well-being.

Using footage and storytelling from the award-winning 2011 documentary Miss Representation, the education curriculum gives media literacy a much-needed gender focus. Girls and boys alike are asked to think about the effects of the images they see—particularly the ways media affect women and girls’ ability to see themselves as powerful beings and ultimately as leaders in our society.

The Miss Representation: Youth Education Curriculum includes modular clips and lesson plans that teachers can incorporate into existing instruction or build upon for a dedicated media literacy class. Your purchase includes access to material appropriate for K-4 elementary, middle school, and high school academic settings as well as discussion questions, activities aligned to national educational standards, and inspiring ways to engage students in using media as a positive change agent in our culture. A university study guide and the feature length film are also available for higher education classrooms and teacher in-services.

Looking for a way to engage and inspire young people? Consider giving the gift of Louder Than a Bomb to a school near you.

At screenings from San Diego, California to Lusaka, Zambia, we’ve seen the powerful impact Louder Than a Bomb can have on young people. It doesn’t matter if it’s a public school, a private school, or a religious school, the message is universal, and the effect is the same: they laugh, they cry, and they leave the screening thinking, talking, and excited about writing. Often the first question we get is “why don’t we have that here?”

Now, you can bring the excitement and energy of Louder Than a Bomb to kids in your community by purchasing the educational DVD for a middle or high school near you. The DVD includes the film itself, full versions of all the main poems (plus a bonus poem), and detailed lesson plans designed by the co-founder of Louder Than a Bomb, poet/educator Kevin Coval. The goal of this package is not just to inspire kids, but to get them writing—as individuals and with others—and maybe even get them to start an LTAB-style program at their school.

Purchase the Louder Than a Bomb educational DVD for a school, organization, or favorite teacher. Visit www.rocoeducational.com or www.louderthanabombfilm.com to find out more about the film.


“I had a feeling that the film was going to be well-received, but I was not prepared for the overwhelming response from students, teachers, and administrators. The outpouring of emotion from the students was genuine, spontaneous, nonstop -- and very, very loud.”
—Ken Jacobson, Programming/Education Outreach Coordinator, Palm Springs International Film Festival

Louder Than a Bomb is not only an entertaining and exciting film, it’s also an excellent teaching tool for the classroom. I’ve shown the film three times, to over 750 high school students, and each screening was met with standing ovations and spontaneous mid-film applause.”
—Rebecca Fons, Education Program Manager, The Chicago International Film Festival

“Students who previously had said that they hated poetry loved the film and now view poetry in a completely different light.”
—Kathy McHugh, English Department head, North Shore Country Day School

“The word I heard over and over from the students… ‘AWESOME!’”
—Kristy Ulrich Papczun, English Teacher, Byrne Elementary (Chicago)

“Best friggin’ movie EVER.”
—One of Kristy’s students, on Facebook

“Whenever, wherever, and however you find this film, just find it—and grab a teenager you love or who needs inspiration.”
—Geraud Blanks, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Louder Than a Bomb captures the inexplicable magic that occurs when the seemingly least likely candidates reach for something like poetry as a lifeline, seize it and climb to heights unimaginable.”
—Ryan Syrek, Omaha Reader

Louder Than a Bomb’’ is about the doors that language opens. Think of it as ‘Glee’ without music. Without a net, too….”
—Ty Burr, Boston Globe

“Awesome…Equally parts heartbreaking and inspirational, this film is a reminder that even Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs had to start somewhere….so why shouldn’t it be at a local high school?”
—Nylonmag.com

“Brimming with life and hope….It’s about how an amazing program has helped bring the best out of these kids, and how these kids have shown the ability to amaze right back.”
—Noel Murray, Onion A/V Club