- 2009 NCI Summit New Media Spotlight: Filmmakers Therese Schecter and Shannon Sonnenstein
- Will present films "Talking Water" and "I Was A Teenage Feminist"
- Posted January 22, 2009
Tulane's Newcomb College Institute will see visits from Therese Schecther and Shannon Sonenstein, two distinguished filmmakers and producers. Shecther and Sonenstein will speak about their work in filmmaking, as well as women's leadership and advancement in the field. These filmmakers are using documentaries to make fascinating and insightful statements about the social problems our society is confronted with, engaging in activism by way of filmmaking.
Therese Shecther, a New York based documentary film-maker, began her film career at Robert De Niro's Tribeca films, working as Jane Rosenthal's production assistant. Shecther's first documentary feature, "I Was a Teenage Feminist" (2005), sets out to discover why many young and intelligent women refuse to identify themselves as feminists. Shecther's film confidently explores the new face of feminism in the 21st century, interviewing women (and men) from different sectors of class and race in an attempt to define what, exactly, feminism is. Funny and irreverent, "I Was a Teenage Feminist" is an entertaining and necessary tribute to feminism past and feminist future. "I Was a Teenage Feminist" will be screened on Friday, February 6 at 7:30 PM, and will be followed by a discussion with the director: an un-missable opportunity for documentary buffs. More is to come: Shecther is currently producing
"The American Virgin", a look into the mysterious world of American sex
education.
Shannon Sonenstein, a producer and director at the Downtown Community Television Center in New York, is an experienced movie and television producer, whose credits include "The Bridge: Egyptian American Exchange (Hallmark 2007, "Addiction" (2007) and " House Arrest" (2005) for HBO. Sonenstein also is a producer at DCTV, a non-profit public access television center that provides New York City community members with broadcasting tools and training. Sonenstein's latest project, "Talkin' Water" follow the summer journey of four teenage girls two from New Orleans, two from New York City - disillusioned by the media coverage of Katrina and determined to instigate change in their community. Featuring film shot by the girls themselves, the young documentarians traverse the city and interview the citizens and victims of the disaster, creating a raw and realistic look at our city's greatest tragedy. "Talkin' Water" will be screened at 1:30 on February 7th, and will be followed with a discussion by the Director and two of the youth film makers.
