The issue of abortion remains controversial throughout our world today. With the recent overruling of the landmark Roe vs. Wade case, several abortion providers have faced serious consequences for providing care. People in need of abortions would often have to travel hours and across states to get the proper treatment. The same rings true for people outside the United States.
Take El Salvador, for example. The country under examination in Judged Bodies: The Fight for Reproductive Rights has some of the most severe abortion prohibition laws in the entire world. Journalist Mariana Carbajal investigates this plight for many of the country’s women.
Many poor women in the country face serious legal consequences (including lengthy prison terms) for seeking out abortion and other types of reproductive care. We see many women in the documentary fighting for their reproductive rights. This includes activist Morena Herrera. A former freedom fighter, Herrera is a pivotal figure in the El Salvadorean resistance movement. Since 2009, she has worked with the Citizen’s Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion. She’s been featured on BBC and was the subject of an Amnesty International report. Herrera is a pivotal figure in the film, and her work championing feminist rights is virtually unparalleled.
Judged Bodies: The Fight for Reproductive Rights also provides a history, and it’s one that casts the entire movie in an interesting (if not infuriating) light. It was legal for a time in specific cases. In 1973, the country mandated that if the woman’s life was in jeopardy if the fetus had a serious congenital disorder, or if the woman was raped, an abortion would be permitted. However, only 25 years later, El Salvador completely banned abortion regardless of any potential circumstance. The law also punishes women for homicide if they have an abortion or even if they miscarry.
The educational documentary focuses on how the lack of abortion or reproductive healthcare is a human rights violation. To make matters worse, many women in the country come from disadvantaged backgrounds, making healthcare even more elusive. The film documents this struggle beautifully. It also discusses violence against women in the country, and how this serious issue intertwines with the fight for reproductive health. Even as other countries pass abortion legislation, the country remains at a standstill.
The film is an eye-opening look into a group of women fighting for their rights. It is, at times, extremely hard to watch but Judged Bodies: The Fight for Reproductive Rights balances current events and history with great precision. The educational documentary would work well in a film series about feminist movements and women’s rights. Judged Bodies: The Fight for Reproductive Rights would also be an effective addition for anyone studying modern history, as well as modern political resistance movements.
Journalist Mariana Carbajal reveals the reality for women in El Salvador, a country that has one of the strictest abortion prohibition laws in the world. Many poor women have been sentenced to long prison terms after facing obstetric emergencies. Morena Herrera, and other activists fight for reproductive rights.
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FILM FESTIVALS
- Guayaquil International Film Festival, Ecuador
- AfricanBamba Human Rights Film Festival, Panama
- FCEE, Ecuador Ethnographic Film Festival, Ecuador
- Festival de Cine Leonardo Favio, Argentina
- International Film Festival for Human Rights, Colombia
- MUMA Festival, Women’s Festival of Media and Audiovisuals, Argentina
- WIFTV Mx, Women International Cinema & TV Festival, Mexico
- ETNOVIDEOGRÁFICA, International Ethnovideography Festival, Spain
- Films By Women Film Festival, Spain
- MAFICI International Film Festival, Argentina
- Linares International Film Festival, Chile
- Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh
- Cinema de Femmes, Women Film Festival, France
- Censored International Film Festival, Peru
- Latin American Studies International Film Festival, Canada
- The International Film Festival TOFIFEST, Kujawy Pomorze Region, Poland
- The Women Deliver Conference's Arts & Film Festival, Rwanda
THE FILMMAKER
Mariana Carbajal is a journalist at Pagina 12 and host of the Punto Género show. Trained in journalism with a gender and rights perspective. For her journalistic works, Mariana has received numerous awards and distinctions. She is the author of four books and numerous articles. In 2017, Marian won the Lola Mora Award for Career. She was a promoter of the Ni Una Menos movement. Cuerpos Juzgados is her first documentary film.
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JUDGED BODIES
Catalog # EPF16053 ● ISBN: 978-1-933724-93-5 ● UPC: 6-82086-16053-5 ● NTSC
69 Minutes ● Copyright 2022 ● Spanish, English Subtitles
Click here to buy DVD: $29.95
Click here to buy DVD w/ Public Performance Rights: $250
Click here to buy DSL and DVD w/ Public Performance Rights: $375
For purchase orders, to book screenings and for other inquiries, please contact:
Larry Rattner - larry@epfmedia.com