ROSITA

Rosa--or Rosita, as the press would eventually call her--is the nine -year-old daughter of illiterate campesino coffee pickers Maria and Francisco, who left their native Nicaragua to seek employment in Costa Rica.

One morning while on her way to school, Rosa is raped by a neighbor. She tells no one of the incident and her resultant pregnancy--and numerous venereal diseases--go unnoticed until a visit to the doctor for stomach pains reveals what is really going on inside her tiny body.

Fearing for their daughter's life and mental health, Rosa's parents are determined to obtain an abortion for their child. However, in both Nicaragua and Costa Rica, abortion is illegal except when deemed necessary to save the life of the mother. Despite the odds of obtaining a rarely granted exception for a so-called "therapeutic" abortion, Rosa's parents move courageously forward in their quest to end Rosa's pregnancy, pitting them against two governments, the medical establishment and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

Representatives of both the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican governments attempt to remove Rosa from her family in order to force her to continue her pregnancy. A women's health group intercedes-- and in a landmark victory for Nicaraguan girls and women who are victims of sexual violence -- Rosa obtains a therapeutic abortion.

Then, in a stunning television announcement, Nicaragua's cardinal excommunicates Rosa and everyone connected to the abortion. The public outcry extends across Latin America and Europe. A petition originating in Spain gathers the signatures of 26,000 men and women demanding, "I too want to be excommunicated." The petition is presented to the Vatican's representative in Spain and the Church falls silent.

The film exposes the machinations of the politicians, doctors and clergymen, but shields the young protagonist from the camera -- in keeping with the pledge filmmakers Attie and Goldwater made to Rosa's parents. Yet Rosa is always at the heart of this film, revealing herself and her world through her own words and drawings.

Amy Dotson

Philadelphia filmmakers Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater have worked together making documentaries on women's issues since 1990. Maggie Growls, a whimsical biography of Gray Panther founder Maggie Kuhn, was the premiere program on PBS' documentary series INDEPENDENT LENS and winner of the 2004 Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media, awarded by the Council on Foundations. Their work has been funded by numerous foundations and state and national funding sources, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and CPB's Independent Television Services (ITVS).

Print Source:
Attie + Goldwater Productions Inc.
16 Levering Circle
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Tel: 610.664.7316
Email: bkattie@aol.com

Preceded by...TIME LOST
Carla Gutierrez
USA, 2004, 18 minutes

After 11 years in prison, Albert Johnson was exonerated of one of two rape charges by a DNA test. His story sheds light on the failings of our police and judicial systems.

Print Source:
Carla Gutierrez
3208 Marathon St.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Tel: 650-906-7457
Email: carlagu@earthlink.net

Wednesday 6/15 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday 6/16 at 2:45 p.m.

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