Female Centric

East Coast Premiere. Bloom is a drama that follows the past and present life of Kate (a marvelous Kate Braun) and her poodle, Storm. Stirred by the desire to flee her small town Indiana life, this ambling Midwest tale begins with Kate in her 60s, on the eve of an impromptu vacation that quickly snowballs into an adventure across America. Driven by memories from her past, we come to learn how Kate once broke free from her hometown and toured with a band on the road. Unfortunately, this dream came to an abrupt end leaving her right back in the stagnant, small town life she so desperately yearned to escape from. With her children’s inadvertent guidance, Kate’s attempt to fulfill her freedom is met face to face with her life’s deepest regret. Surrounded by an interesting array of characters amid the changing backdrop of the Midwest, Great Plains and Southwest, Bloom takes us on a spiritual and quietly emotional journey through Kate’s open eyes and search for a new life.

It is August 1971. Football teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark and Italy are gathering at Mexico City’s sun-drenched Azteca Stadium. The scale of the tournament is monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner and crowds of over 100,000 hollering fans turn this historic stadium into “a cauldron of noise and heat” match after match. A fawning media treat the players like rock stars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the greatest moments in international soccer history. But this is a tournament unlike anything that’s happened before. The players on the pitch are all women. And it’s likely you’ve never even heard of it. This is Copa 71, the unofficial Women’s World Cup. Dismissed by both FIFA and domestic football associations around the world, this event has been entirely written out of history – until now. With the recent discovery of footage from that event, filmmakers Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine track down the players from across Europe and Latin America. For decades, these women scarcely had a chance to tell their story. But what a story they have to tell of battles on and off the field.The women were experiencing breakthroughs not only in sports, but also in understanding power, liberation, and self-fulfillment. With the support of Olympic gold medalists Brandi Chastain and Alex Morgan, who are interviewed, and Serena and Venus Williams, who serve as executive producers, Copa ’71 is both an emotional, action-packed sports story and a liberating outlet for the brave women who took part.

Women of the Watershed highlights the role women have played in the conservation of the Florida Everglades beginning with the earliest advocates of the 20th century and through insightful visits with present day scientists, advocates and artists, who are actively engaged in modern day conservation activities. We follow the journey of Chloe Barnett, who grew up along the edge of this massive sheet of water that gently glides down the Florida peninsula into Florida Bay. Her purpose is to engage with women who are actively involved in conservation activities throughout the watershed to better understand the water challenges we are now facing. Everglades National Park represents only a fraction of the entire Everglades system that also includes the various waterways that lead through the Kissimmee River Basin, Lake Okeechobee, the Southern Everglades and Florida Bay. Chloe recounts her experiences with coral restoration along with the problems of coral bleaching that now threaten the very survival of this coral reef system. This story begins at the end, and leads her on a journey upstream towards the headwaters of the entire Everglades system as she visits with the Women of the Watershed.

Preceded by the short Conservation Across Continents: Madagascar, a look at the efforts to preserve the lemur population in that country.

In Attendance: Scott Michael Barnett, Director; Johanna Vega, Executive Producer; Chloe Barnett

Those We Carry is a snapshot of a mother and daughter’s last 24 hours together as they travel to the wilderness of California so the mother, who’s terminally ill, can die with dignity.