Film screening, panel to focus on women in media

The East Carolina University School of Communication will host a free screening of the award-winning documentary “Miss Representation” at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 in Hendrix Theatre. A reception and panel discussion will follow.

The film, an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, examines how women are portrayed in the media, offering surprising evidence that women are still facing unfortunate odds even in modern society.

Dinecia Gates, academic advisor for the School of Communication, spearheaded efforts to bring the film to ECU. The film “addresses the impact media has on perceptions of women in America,” she said. That includes women in leadership and high profile positions.

“This film is both exciting and relevant in a day and age where media has a tremendous, yet often undetected, impact on our day to day lives and perceptions,” Gates said.

A panel discussion after the screening will include ECU professors Todd Fraley, School of Communication; Christine Avenarious, Department of Anthropology; Marieke Van Willigen, Women’s Studies Program; and Amanda Klein, Department of English, Film Studies.

A reception will be held after the panel discussion.

The event is free and open to the public. It is a passport event for ECU students.

For additional information about the film, visit missrepresentation.org. For details about the ECU event, contact Gates at gatesd@ecu.edu or 252-328-6001.