Join NYWIFT, SAG-AFTRA, School of Visual Arts Film department, Women in Arts and Media Coalition, and HerFlix for a screening of Obvious Child in recognition of SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day, an annual event on the last Saturday of March that celebrates women artists. There will be a Q&A with director/SVA alumna Gillian Robespierre and a reception following the screening.
Overview: For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her hysterical and relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna winds up unexpectedly pregnant after a one-night stand, she is forced to face the uncomfortable realities of independent womanhood for the first time. Donna’s drunken hookup , and epic lapse in prophylactic judgment , turns out to be the beginning of a hilarious and totally unplanned journey of self-discovery and empowerment.
Writer/director Gillian Robespierre has written and directed several short films including Chunk (2006), the story of an awkward and overweight teenage girl forced to spend her summer at fat camp, and Obvious Child (2009). Since penning the feature, Obvious Child was selected for the 2011 IFP Emerging Narrative and Emerging Visions Labs, received the 2011 Rooftop Films Eastern Effects Equipment Grant and 2013 Tribeca Film Institute Tribeca All Access grant, and participated in San Francisco Film Society’s Off The Page workshop with actors Jenny Slate, Gaby Hoffmann and Gabe Liedman. Gillian is a born and raised New Yorker who graduated from the School of Visual Arts’ Film & Video Program. She is currently developing her second feature.
Caren Spruch (moderator) is the Senior Advisor, Arts & Entertainment Engagement, for Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She founded the organization’s program to advance women’s reproductive and sexual health and rights through pop culture. Caren works closely with prominent television and film actors to engage them in publicly supporting Planned Parenthood’s mission. She also consults with producers, directors, and writers to review scripts for accuracy and advises them on incorporating health and advocacy messages into their story lines.Caren has organized countless grassroots and advocacy events for other non-profits and political campaigns, and conducted business development efforts in the private sector.
This event is free for NYWIFT members.  Please click this link to RSVP, or click the ticket icon above.