"INVISIBLE WOMEN" - a documentary

We are not invisible 

By 2010, women between the ages of 40 and 64 will be the largest age demographic in America.


"Invisible Women" is 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.




SOME QUOTES...

Susan Sarandon:
“My best work is yet to come.”


Christine Lahti:
“I have never felt better.
I mean truly never felt better."


Deborah Harmon:
“It was like I got "pink-slipped"
and nobody told me.”


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
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.”




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.


Source: http://www.invisiblewomen.com/