Original Documentaries.
Represent
In the heart of the Midwest, three women take on entrenched political systems in their fight to reshape local politics on their own terms.
Represent is a feature documentary produced by Backbone Films, Kartemquin Films, and ITVS. The film is equal parts personal and political, and interweaves the stories of women on both sides of the aisle who share the singular goal of improving their community through public service. Myya (22) attempts to spark a youth movement and unseat the incumbent mayor of Detroit, MI; Bryn (33), a farmer and working mother in Granville, OH, runs for township trustee, but, in doing so, is placed in opposition with the only other woman in office; and Julie (47) walks a tightrope between her identities as a Korean immigrant, woman of color, and Republican candidate for State Representative in a liberal Chicago, IL suburb. Through the nuances of local politics, Represent elevates both the systemic failings and unsung heroes at the heart of our “smallest” elections.
Represent premiered in over 60 theaters across the country in August 2020 and broadcast nationally on PBS’ Independent Lens the following October. You can learn more or get involved at https://www.thefilmrepresent.com/.
Represent trailer, 2020.
Critical Acclaim for Represent
“These women are connected in their desires to change their communities and restore faith in democracy…. what Represent does make clear is that without firm reinforcements, the system will continue celebrating clichés, like Year of the Woman, instead of permanently changing."
— The New York Times
“A timely film about the ‘unglamorous bits of democracy’ that make for a political movement.”
— The Guardian
“Nuance rarely seen on shows or movies about politics.”
— Roger Ebert.com
“A raw look at the strength, vulnerability, and resilience that comes with running for an elected position. It documents the hard-to-watch, in-person rejection each candidate faced, the superficial criticisms they experienced as female candidates, and the tear-jerking moments that came in the aftermath of winning and losing hard-fought races.”
— Daily Kos
“A winning new documentary… Each of the film’s three narratives reminds us the patriarchy never yields its political power willingly.”
— Chicago Tribune
“The outcomes of the elections aren’t the point... Rather, the film is meant to inspire more women to run for something — anything — in a country where that is still a relative rarity, and sexism is widespread.”
— The Washington Post
I used to feel like I was ready
A short documentary
In the midst of the COVID pandemic, I used to feel like I was ready reflects on death and mortality through recorded telephone conversations between the director and unlikely “death experts.” Told almost entirely with footage and imagery pulled from public domain archives, the film is an imaginative, humorous, thought-provoking snapshot of a morbid moment in our shared history.
Embodies
Embodies is a new take on body image– one that involves bruises and art and caskets. The film profiles three women with decidedly different relationships to the human form as they navigate the challenges of standing naked in a room full of strangers, raising a family and participating in an underground sport, and working with the dead for a living. Embodies premiered at the Big Sky Film Festival in 2014.