'Miss Representation' gets educational distribution

Jennifer Seibel Newsom just got a boost in her quest to change the way young women view themselves.

Newsom's film "Miss Representation," a documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, has been picked up by ro*co films educational. The film will be part of a group of documentaries for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), with which ro*co films has a partnership.

"Having a partner like ro*co films will enable 'Miss Representation' to have the greatest impact via the educational market," Newsom said in a news release. "The film was made to be a change agent for our culture … its aim being to inspire women to find their voice and own their power, and for men to see women as their equals."

Newsom has a desire to see the film in all levels of education, and calls it an "essential start" to the movement she hopes will sweep across North America.

Annie Rooney, founder and managing director of ro*co films, shares in Newsom's vision.

"This is more than a film: it's a movement," Rooney said in a news release. "We are inspired and deeply committed to creating a university presence that will compete with any traditional box office success. Reaching our country's college youth is a distribution platform of great significance and long-term impact. We look forward to working with the outreach team that Jennifer is putting together to promote this film widely in the educational market for many years."

The short-term plan for the film distribution includes creating the university edition of the Educational/Public performance DVD, with a release date of April 2011. A condensed K-12 edition will follow in the summer, and it will cater to younger eyes and ears. The film version that screened at Sundance would probably receive an R rating due to strong language, some nudity and graphic sexual images. The condensed version will attempt to preserve the message that compelled Newsom to create the film in the first place — taking a stand against negative visual media.

The film can be used in classrooms as well as for campus screenings. Additionally, ro*co films educational is working closely with leadership conferences to promote the film.

"We are currently corresponding with many organizations such as The Stanford Women's Leadership Conference and The American Association of University Women about including 'Miss Representation' in their programs this year," said Kristin Cooney, spokeswoman for ro*co films educational.

Amy Wilde is a writer living in Brigham City, Utah. You can follow her blog at amywildeatmosphere.blogspot.com/, or e-mail her at wilde.amy@gmail.com