Invisible Women
A short documentary written, directed and produced by
Susan Davis ~
Steve Mills ~ Susan Valdes
INVISIBLE WOMEN explores the fading image of mature
women in the media. It spotlights the diminished careers of actresses who find
themselves "pink-slipped" at forty and in danger of losing their
eligibility for pension and healthcare. Among those interviewed are Susan Sarandon;
Christine Lahti; Larry Gelbart; and Dr. Ken Dychtwald, psychologist and author
of AGEWAVE; who discuss plastic surgery, our personality cult-driven society
and solutions to ageism in show business.
Who is responsible for what we see in the media: Madison Avenue, the networks,
the studios, the consumer--or is it a shared responsibility?
- 62% of the women in America today are over the age of 40.
- Women over 40 influence 80% of the purchasing decisions.
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Susan Sarandon:
“My best work is yet to come.”
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Christine Lahti:
“I have never felt better.
I mean truly
never felt better."
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Deborah Harmon:
“It was like I got "pink-slipped"
and nobody
told me.”
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This twenty-eight minute documentary challenges the youth-obsessed message
the media is sending to our children and the world. It poses the question:
Will the baby boomers, the largest, most powerful generation that's ever lived,
allow themselves to become invisible on the screen?
GOALS
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Quotes About "Invisible Women" |
| Our goals for INVISIBLE WOMEN are three-fold. This documentary
was funded by a grant from the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and will
be used by the Screen Actors Guild to focus awareness on the issue of
ageism as it affects thousands of Guild members, in particular women over
forty who are the first to be "pink-slipped". It will
act as the centerpiece for symposiums, forums and screenings sponsored
by industry guild and entertainment organizations like Women in Film,
who has already co-hosted two screening in New York and Los Angeles. |
- Robert Altman, director
“It’s noble, inspiring…very well done.”
- Mike Nichols
“ Right on the money!.”
- John Kander, composer
“INVISIBLE WOMEN is a sophisticated and much needed documentary about
a rarely discussed subject that affects thousands of women in the industry.”
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New York
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Los Angeles
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| Moderator Gail Sheehy and Panel
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MORE editor Peggy Northrop, SAG
leslie Shreve, IW producer Susan Davis, director
Susan Seidelman, actress Lee Grant, IW producer Susan Valdes
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Invisible Women producer Susan Valdes & actress
Patricia Clarkson
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Moderator Madelyn Hammond & actress
Jo Beth Williams
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Our second goal is to reach out to our younger generations. INVISIBLE
WOMEN is available to university and college departments of Film and Television,
Media and Communications, and Women's Studies, film schools, museums etc.
to promote educational and artistic awareness among our future filmmakers. It
carries the message that there is this massive and growing audience in America
that craves stories that reflect their lives.
Lastly, we will continue to seek additional funding to produce this documentary,
or an expanded version, for broadcast on PBS or cable.
