Sassistas! Our dish on the social soup.

SILVERDOCS 2011: Day Two

Just when we think we've come a long way, baby, the Sassistas! see a documentary that proves that women still have a very, very, very long way to go.  

The Sassistas! ended Day Two of SILVERDOCS 2011 with "Miss Representation," a frank and unflinching look at gender inequality behind and in front of the cameras. Drop everything and take a look at the trailer by clicking here.

Young females plug into several kinds of media, and more often than not, women are portrayed as objects. They are seen physically instead of intellectually.  "Miss Representation" uses both statistics and interviews to get convey its main point: the way mainstream media depicts women is partially responsible for the reason why so few women hold positions of power in the United States. Women are portrayed as catty bitches in reality television and as fighting f*ck toys in cinema (Angelina Jolie, anyone?). And those depictions trivialize women, making it more difficult to take them seriously as potential leaders.

Pause a moment and take in this detail: within four weeks of becoming Speaker of the House, John Boehner appeared on the cover of all five major news magazines. Nancy Pelosi never appeared once on the cover of these same magazines during the four years she was Speaker of the House. Remember when Hillary Clinton cried during her campaign to be President? And when John Boehner cried on "60 Minutes"?  Guess who got the worse press?

The Sassistas! were stunned by the depth and breadth of media bias against women and are seriously thinking of donating this film to our local elementary school. Also, we believe if every journalist on the planet was just like Rachel Maddows, the world would be a perfect place.

We know that you are aware of how the media objectifies women. Today, get it all out of your system. Give us your own examples of "Miss Representation," and let's start now to influence a new generation of women who realize their full potential.

 

SILVERDOCS 2011: Day One

WELCOME TO SILVERDOCS 2011 WITH THE SASSISTAS!  The above video is the trailer for this year's edition.  Click here to access the full slate of documentaries.

Yesterday, on Day One of SILVERDOCS, the Sassistas! viewed 14 shorts and three full-length films.  The shorts were divided into two themes: "Between Us" -- about unforgettable and odd relationships -- and "Magnificent Obsessions" -- about people with quirky habits and skills.

We can sum up the subject of the three full-length features with two words:  ONE MAN.

"Buck" (featured in the video trailer posted here) profiled the real-life inspiration for the best-selling book and film, The Horse Whisperer, Buck Brannaman.  Based on his own harrowing experiences while growing up, Buck helps fix "horses with people problems," and proves that a quiet, gentle healing soul can emerge from profound childhood abuse.

"Donor Unknown" tells the story of 23-year-old JoEllen Marsh who was raised by two loving mothers in Pennsylvania who used a carefully chosen anonymous sperm donor to conceive her.  When JoEllen discovers an online registry that connects her to several other young adults fathered by the same donor, she sets out to meet not only her half-siblings, but also her biological father when he publicly reveals his identity. This is the story that "The Kids are All Right" should have told because only in Hollywood do fathers turn out to be Mark Ruffalo.  The best way to describe the biological father is to muse about whether or not he's visiting Planet Earth today between hits of pot in the trailer he lives in with four dogs and assorted birds. Far out, dude!

Retired Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger is the subject of "Semper Fi: Always Faithful," a searing and shocking look at what he discovered when investigating the death of his 9-year-old daughter from a rare form of leukemia: that the very organization that was supposed to protect its own -- the Marine Corps -- had been covering up one of the worst cases of toxic water contamination in history. The Sassistas! met Jerry yesterday and not only kissed him right on the cheek but also thanked him for his continued service to our country even in retirement.

All in all, it was the best DAY ONE in our SILVERDOCS experience, and we are very much looking forward to DAY TWO.