Reel Women’s Film Festival Now in Sixth Year

PALM SPRINGS – The Sixth Annual 2019 Reel Women’s Film Festival, which takes place Sunday, Oct. 27, is important and thematically timely, covering topics such as the right to choose, #MeToo, and women’s rights are human rights, according to Eileen Stern, Festival founder.

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest’s Reel Women’s Film Festival, takes place at Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs from 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Its purpose is to support reproductive and sexual health care services in the Coachella Valley.

Just recently, Planned Parenthood declared an official state of emergency for women’s health in America, according to Stern.

“Across the country the organization is seeing unprecedented assaults on women’s health, especially in states that already have some of the worst health outcomes for women and children,” Stern said. “We must consider this grave threat to women’s health as we would any other public health emergency, and stand against these threats.”

As documentary filmmaker, grassroots leader, and former Reel Women’s Film Festival guest Heather Booth so aptly put, “We are the resistance!”

“And in that spirit, we invite you to become a part of this year’s resistance—joining us in the fight to protect and uplift sexual and reproductive health care as a basic human right,” Stern said.

This year’s festival will feature films that take a close up look at the events that are grabbing headlines across the globe, including the plight of refugees, sexual harassment, and abortion. The films examine these issues through the lens of women who are struggling against the societal forces that affect so many.

“We are proud to bring this array of films to the Coachella Valley. Our goal is to get people talking about these really important issues that disproportionately impact women every day,” said Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest President & CEO Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson.

Funds raised at this event will help Coachella Valley residents get the nonjudgmental, high-quality health care they need and deserve. Last year, we provided about 25,000 patient visits for birth control, STI testing and treatment, lifesaving cancer screenings, annual exams, abortion, and many other types of services in the Coachella Valley.

This year’s film lineup is:

• Brave Girl Rising is presented by Girl Rising, the nonprofit behind the global campaign for girls’ education and empowerment. Made in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee and filmed in one of the largest refugee camps in the world, the film is a testament to how hope and love can propel us beyond even the bleakest of circumstances.

Watch the trailer:

• Working Woman With her husband’s restaurant business in jeopardy, a mother of three gets a job as assistant to a powerful realtor and must fight back against his sexual harassment. Her rapid rise through the ranks and her increasing financial success seem to parallel a pattern of predatory behavior which ultimately brings her career and marital relationship to the brink.

Watch the trailer:

• Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-nominated play by Jane Martin, Catch and Release is a gripping psychological thriller that explores and humanizes the abortion controversy by taking the anti-choice agenda to a frightening new battleground. Catch and Release marks the sixth collaboration of directors Laurie Colbert and Dominique Cardona.

Trailer not immediately available.

Festival passes for all movies is $25. Platinum Passes are $100. Platinum pass holders will receive complimentary access to the closing night reception at the 849 Restaurant with filmmakers Laurie Colbert and Dominique Cordoba.

You can get information on the films and purchase passes by clicking here.