FESTIVALS: *Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival (Czech Republic) * ZagrebDox (Croatia) * FIWOM - Festival for Women's Rights (Seoul, South Korea) * Filmmor Women's film festival (Beyoğlu / Istanbul, Turkey) * FEMCiNE - Festival de Cine de Mujeres (Santiago, Chile)
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HOW TO LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY
Female virginity has been ‘restored’ through surgery, fetishized by porn and glorified by popular culture. A woman’s ‘virginity’ recently fetched $780,000 at auction, and an 'artificial hymen' sells online for $30. And 50 years after the sexual revolution, this outmoded construct continues to define a young woman’s morality and self-worth. Why does virginity hold such importance in our otherwise hyper-sexualized society? Unleashing an inquisitive and irreverent voice, she sets her sights on this milestone that almost everyone experiences, but few fully understand. Layering verite, interviews and vintage sex-ed films with candid reflection and wry narration, HOW TO LOSE YOUR VIRGINITY is a personal journey and an eye-opening study of modern sexuality. Using her own path out of ‘virginity’ to frame the narrative, filmaker Therese Shechter creates a far-reaching dialogue with women across the sexuality spectrum: Lena, once shamed for writing about her sex life, is now organizing around it; Judy, a Julliard-trained violinist prays to keep mind and body pure while touring with provocateur Lady Gaga; Meghan, a transgender woman re-evaluates what sex and virginity mean to her changing body. When Shechter gets engaged, she too gets caught up in the virgin industrial complex, and on the set of porn franchise “Barely Legal,” she find the ultimate contradiction in a pair of white cotton panties. The documentary showcases a daring commitment to deeply personal storytelling.The film and interactive spin-offs take the narrative back from the corrosive messages of media, religion and porn, to empower and reflect our own experiences. PRESS LINKS and interview with director Therese Shechter and producer Lisa Esselstein about the film PRESS IMAGES: (click to preview) 
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