Post 5

Dawn Porter

I used to practice law, but now I make documentary
films about issues I think are important - Porter

             

              While searching through the various female artists, I had a difficult time selecting one in particular. Although there were a number of movies that passed the Bechdel test, not all of them were necessarily something that I would consider feminist work. As well, although there were a number of female directed movies out there, many of them seemed to revolve around male counterparts. For a minute I had thought about selecting the writer and director, Gillian Robespierre, who had created the film Obvious Child, which I had watched maybe over a year ago. The film follows a young woman comedienne in her early twenties, who decides to have an abortion from an unplanned pregnancy. In my research on Gillian Robespierre, however, which was not very rich in that Obvious Child is one of her first works, I found Dawn Porter (Whom Gillian Robespierre tweeted about Dawn’s Kickstarter Account).

            Dawn Porter is a lawyer turned documentarian filmmaker (director and producer), as well as the founder of Trilogy Films. While working in civil litigation for the Baker Hostetler Law Firm, she transitioned into media practice, where for twelve years she worked on media cases. Although she loved her job, she decided that she wanted to create stories that she was interested in telling. The Kickstarter account that drew me into writing this piece on Dawn Porter, was her up incoming documentary formulated to try and protect women’s rights. The documentary is entitled Trapped.

In that women’s reproductive rights have been and still are under attack, this documentary works to criticize the legislation which have aimed to restrict women’s reproductive rights. Since 2010, there have been hundreds of Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) laws which have been passed restricting reproductive rights and closing down clinics throughout the United States. This documentary emphasizes the especially critical situation in the South, where clinics have been forced to fight for their survival. Within this film, Porter aims to portray the “human effects of these politically motivated and medically unnecessary laws.” By human effects, she highlights the personal stories of the women being personally effected by these restrictive laws, as well as the clinicians and lawyers trying to keep the reproductive rights intact. One part that really struck me was when one of the clinicians from a Texas clinic spoke about a patient on the phone who could not come all the way down to San Antonio to receive an abortion. On the phone the patient asks, “What if I tell you what I have in my kitchen cabinet and you tell me what I can do.”  Porter follows the progress and setbacks as the people within the film continue the fight for reproductive rights, especially focused in the South.

            Porter’s works, not only Trapped, are mainly focused on politically focused issues. Being a lawyer provided Porter with an edge to look at the world, question it through a legal lens and create something. Trapped, in essence, was centered on the Supreme Court ruling of Roe vs. Wade, where women, up until the second and third trimester (regulated by the state) were allowed the right to choose to terminate their pregnancy. Although that ruling was determined in 1973, the fight for reproductive rights still continues. Porter’s first documentary Gideon’s Army (premiered on HBO), was centered on the 1963 Supreme Court ruling of Gideon vs. Wainwright, through which the defendant has a right to a defense lawyer. Within that documentary, Porter focused on the stories of public defenders in the South whom are vastly underpaid, but can have literally hundreds of pending caseloads. She also did a short documentary, interviewing President Obama on his initiative “My Brother’s Keeper,” which was created to “address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.”

            Through watching Porter’s pieces, it is clear that one of her goals is to question politics through highlighting these personal stories. There are negative connotations and stereotypes associated with abortions, women who receive or want abortions, defense lawyers, and the people who go to jail (wrongfully or not), young boys who aren’t able to reach their full potential. The tendency is for the general population to criticize the person, blame the victim, instead of calling out why the system is in place, what is keeping it that way. Much of her focus so far has been on the Southern states, to tackle issues where policies especially reflect tendencies towards racism, sexism, and disregard of poverty or financial capabilities. She received much praise for Gideon’s Army and was been nominated for various awards (Sundance, Georgia Film Critics Association, and Independence Spirits Awards) and has won two awards at the Miami Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize, Audience Award). Trapped is still in the works, and as of now is in the process of editing and festival submissions. 

                                                                   Trapped Trailer

Works Cited

Trapped Documentary Kickstarter

Trilogy Films Website

Rise: The Promise of My Brother's Keeper - Preview (Available for Purchase)

Interview With Obama

Gideon's Army - Preview (Available for Purchase)

Interview on Gideon's Army