roe v wade – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

HOLLYWOOD DOES ABORTION (Tribeca 2026) – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

June 11, 2026June 14, 2026 Valerie Kalfrin Barbara Attie, documentary, Gillian Robespierre, Hollywood Does Abortion, Janet Goldwater, Mike Attie, norman lear, Rachel Bloom, roe v wade, Shonda Rhimes, Tribeca 2026, Zoanne Clack

The thought-provoking documentary Hollywood Does Abortion is more like “how Hollywood portrays abortion,” which is to say, skewed toward white teenagers in trouble, if at all. Directed by Emmy nominees Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, along with Mike Attie, the documentary argues that political pressures have shaped depictions of abortion onscreen for decades, creating a cycle of stigma and misinformation. It’s not as if a particular show or film led to certain legislation, the film argues, but that the potency of abortion as a political issue has influenced storylines time and again. It’s a strong and sobering take.

Reviews

PRIME MINISTER – Review by Leslie Combemale

June 4, 2025June 6, 2025 Leslie Combemale Clarke Gayford, covid, gun control, Jacinda Ardern, Lindsay Utz, Michelle Walshe, new zealand, Prime Minister, roe v wade

Is watching a leader that is the diametrically opposite of Donald Trump going to bring you despair, or optimism, or both? That’s the question that will likely pop up for viewers of the documentary Prime Minister, from co-directors Lindsay Utz and Michelle Walshe. The film chronicles former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern’s professional and personal experiences in her five years as head of government, years that included the birth of her first child, a mass shooting, and a worldwide pandemic, and proved enormously challenging.

Reviews

ZURAWSKI V TEXAS – Review by Liz Braun

October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 Liz Braun Abbie Perrault, Amanda Zurawski, Amber Nicole Thurman, Center for Reproductive Rights, documentary, Dr. Austin Dennard, Ken Paxton, Lindsey Graham, Maisie Crow, Molly Duane, roe v wade, Samantha Casiano, Zurawski v Texas

Near the end of the documentary Zurawski v Texas, a legal expert says that the fight for reproductive rights in America is nationwide because, “This is what happens when you ban abortion — and it’s not what people think.” What happens when you ban abortion includes infant and maternal death, maternal infertility, and unspeakable illness, suffering and loss, as the film shows. Directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault, Zurawski v Texas is a beautifully constructed film about the fight undertaken by some brave women and a fearless attorney to sue the state of Texas in an attempt to regain reproductive rights. The plaintiffs went forward on behalf of women everywhere, mostly in the hope of sparing others the pain they were put through. The most troubling thing about Zurowski v Texas is that the people who most need to see it won’t see it. This is a film that should be required viewing in high schools nationwide.

News

Women Make Movies’ Free Virtual Film Series: The War on Reproductive Choice – Lois Alter Mark reports

May 20, 2022May 20, 2022 Lois Alter Mark curated series, reproductive rights, roe v wade, women make movies

To show people what’s really at stake when access to abortion is denied, Women Make Movies has curated a virtual film series, The War on Reproductive Choice, and is making all 9 films available for the public to watch for free through May 31. Sign up here.

Reviews

ASK FOR JANE – Review by Marilyn Ferdinand

May 21, 2019May 27, 2019 Marilyn Ferdinand (Archived Contributor) 0 Comments ask for jane, Cait Cortelyou, jane collective, rachel carey, roe v wade, truth-based

As a legal showdown over the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion looms, a modest, low-budget film from a first-time director reminds us of what life was like before Roe v. Wade. Ask for Jane tells the story of the Jane Collective, a Chicago-based abortion service that operated in the shadows from 1969 to 1973 to provide safe abortions to women before Roe made their work unnecessary.