The documentary Miss Representation, recently aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network, provides startling facts about women’s portrayal and representation in media. The world of media, television, and movies often construct images of women as sexualized objects or unintelligent sidekicks when compared with male counterparts, leaving our culture with a negative perception of female empowerment.
Eden Wurmfeld, 1998–99 Career Development Grantee, aspired to earn her master’s degree in film and television production in order to combat these stereotypes and provide positive images of women. Wurmfeld received her master’s in fine arts from the University of California, Los Angeles, and achieved the goal she set out to do. As the producer of Kissing Jessica Stein, she helped tell the story of friendship and romantic love between two women. The award-winning comedy deconstructs conventional interpretations of gender roles, romance, and friendship, leaving viewers with a poignant yet comedic story.
Wurmfeld recently spoke at the National Museum for Women in the Arts in conjunction with the screening of a film she produced, No Impact Man. This film follows a Manhattan family’s quest to eliminate their impact on the environment. Colin Beavan and his family live sustainably for a year, forgoing wrapped goods, using only self-generated transportation, and buying locally. Aside from producing the film, Wurmfeld contributes to the film’s blog, writing posts detailing her attempt at composting and using cloth diapers for her son. No Impact Man is a film with heart, skeletally about people and relationships. Wurmfeld asserts that “the no-impact year had huge reverberations in my life, causing me to reconsider everything.” The documentary is tentatively scheduled to air on OWN this month.
Today, Wurmfeld is working on several creative projects. The television series Habeas on the Gate is about an elite New York lawyer at a corporate firm who finds his calling in nearly impossible pro bono cases that challenge his legal skills and idealism. The first season details the case of Jumah al Dossari, a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, and the unlikely friendship that develops between the lawyer and his client. Her other television project, Bringing Up Mom, is a comedy about the experience of two adult siblings who find their mom has become like a teenage daughter after the death of their father.
Wurmfeld has been honored for her work; she received the UCLA film school’s alumni association award in 2003 and was named one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch. Her passion for creating and telling a good story is one that resonates in her passion for her projects. I encourage you to see her acclaimed and proud accomplishments Kissing Jessica Stein, No Impact Man, The Hammer, and Sunset Story. I assure you that they will leave you reconsidering your impact on life beyond that of the surface story they tell.
This blog was written by Fellowships and Grants Intern Elyssa Shildneck.
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