Oscar Nominated Documentary Film Poster Girl
Documentary Film Screening Followed by Discussion with Nesson and Murray
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM EDT
Johnson Center Cinema
Poster Girl was a nominee for this year's ACADEMY AWARD for Best Documentary, Short Subject.
The film tells the story of Robynn Murray, an all-American high-school cheerleader turned “poster girl” for women in combat, distinguished by Army Magazine’s cover shot. Now home from Iraq, her tough-as-nails exterior begins to crack, leaving Robynn struggling with the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Shot and directed by first-time filmmaker Sara Nesson, Poster Girl is an emotionally raw documentary that follows Robynn over the course of two years as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption, using art and poetry to redefine her life.
The film is selected for this year's Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College, the One World International Film Festival in Prague, the Women's Film Festival in Brattleboro, VT, and New York's Stranger Than Fiction Winter Series.
Our co-sponsors include Art and Visual Technology, Cultural Studies, English, Film & Video Studies, Global and Community Health, History, Psychology, Sociology and Anthropology, University Life, and Women and Gender Studies. As this diverse list suggests, we expect the film and filmmakers' presentation will generate fruitful discussion of a range of issues, including women in the military, war veterans, trauma, and PTSD, women and gender issues in th ebroader culture, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the use of art as a means to self-expression and rehabilitation.
This event is free and open to the public.
Robynn Murray's video, "Hands"
Our event is cosponsored by Film & Media Studies, Art and Visual Technology, Cultural Studies, English, Film and Video Studies, Global and Community Health, History, Psychology, Sociology, University Life, and Women and Gender Studies, as well as Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and Warrior Writers.
