Governess Films Announces Online Premiere for ¡PODER!

NEW YORK - April 8, 2014 - PRLog -- EMBARGOED for April 10, 2014, 12pm EST

Interviews with filmmaker and preview of film/site available upon request

New York, NY – Governess Films announces the launch of a new website and the online premiere for Emmy-winning filmmaker Lisa Russell's new film entitled ¡PODER!.

¡PODER! is a short, narrative film based on the real life story of two indigenous girls in Guatemala named Elba and Emelin who challenged their local Mayor to create new policies and funding to ensure girls in their community had access to education and healthcare.  In a town where only 10% of Mayan girls finish their primary education and more than 50% get pregnant and have babies before they turn 18, the need for girl-friendly programs was critical.  Elba and Emelin helped convince their Mayor to invest in girls programs which led to $250,000USD in funding and a new Office for Women and Girls in their small town.


The website - at poderthefilm (dot) com - offers viewers the opportunity to watch the full film as well as enroll in it's “Film Ambassador” program which aims to put the film into the hands of girl leaders worldwide.

“¡PODER! Is a unique story that illustrates what girls are capable of doing when given access to quality education and support. It was important to have ¡PODER!'s distribution strategy reflect that same message and so we developed the Film Ambassador program,” states Russell.

The Film Ambassador Club provides members with access to a personalized copy of the film (that includes their name and affiliation during the intro slate), guidelines on how to host a screening, ¡PODER! swag and more. The goal is to have girl leaders hosting the film and their own discussions about what they can do to change their own lives and their own communities.

On March 12^th, ¡PODER! had its World Premiere at the UN's Commission on the Status of Women and a community screening with 60+ girls of color at the Boys and Girls Club in Brooklyn.
On March 28^th, it premiered in Guatemala with the local cast.

¡PODER! Was directed, written, shot and edited by Russell and produced by San Francisco nonprofit Let Girls Lead who provided funding and access for the film.

¡PODER! (TRT: 16:12) is available in English and Spanish.


Contact:

Lisa Russell – lisa@governessfilms.com/+1-917-554-4126