Womens March- A documentary film about democracy and human rights
Countering the helplessness cast by a single election, the Women’s March of January 21, 2017 staggers even the most cynical. The scale of the event was thunderous -
What we seek from an independent filmmaker is intimacy and Mischa Hedges’ WOMEN’s MARCH does not disappoint. Even though the subject is big, the extraordinary feeling of humanity that carried our hearts through the streets that day weaves gracefully through the film.
“During the election, our team talked about working on a film related to politics, social justice, racial justice and equality,” explains director Mischa Hedges.
In December, Hedges was hearing about a women’s march and set in motion his Trim Tab team. He selected individuals in each city, Boston and Washington D.C., San Francisco and Oakland – and our own Santa Rosa. Then he set his team of filmmakers to follow the subjects in the weeks leading up to and on through the march. The result? Stories and voices which transport us to back to that landmark day when push came to shove.
Voices like Gretchen’s from D.C., “…this election has mobilized scientists in a way that hasn’t happened before,” and Maya’s from San Francisco,“…if you don’t make a stand and put yourself out there, who will?”
What could be more exciting than capturing a welling of humanity taking over streets shore to shore, or what could be more difficult? It takes skill and instinct to follow the story. Working with twenty hours of footage from the half dozen cameras, the filmmaking team of Trim Tab translated the story from the streets to the screen beautifully – and in a remarkably short period of time.
Just in time for its World Premiere at the Green Film Festival in San Francisco in April; truly a feat.
“We knew this was a timely story and we wanted to make that sure we didn’t lose the energy of the march behind the film. It was important to keep that momentum going and help reinvigorate why they marched,” says Mischa.
After the festival circuit, the film will head to the small screen where it will resonate as a document, a witness. But to see it in a theatre on the big screen, that’s another experience entirely. Suddenly you are part of the crowd again. You’ll find laughter and tears come more easily in company and by closing credits, you might even find yourself singing along, soaking up the love around you to use as fuel for the long haul ahead.
With the collaboration of the Film Program of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, WOMEN’S MARCH returns to Sebastopol for its well-deserved Hometown Premiere. Following the film, the filmmaker and a panel of activists will reflect on that day and discuss the future of the movement.
This special evening is in collaboration with Sebastopol Center for the Arts Film Program which supports independent filmmakers in non-fiction storytelling.
July 7th @ 7:00 pm, SCA’s Brent Auditorium, 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol, California
