“THE CHOICE” FEATURED IN SXSW PROGRAM
The moving VR documentary by Joanna Popińska will be presented at the prestigious SXSW festival in Texas. Production addresses the issue of reproductive rights.
Austin's South By Southwest (SXSW) is – next to the event in Sundance – one of the most important independent cinema events on the US market. Intermedia activities and the festival's music stage are just as important as cinema screenings. There are also numerous meetings and discussion panels for cinema fans.
The Choice invites viewers to have an intimate conversation with Kristen, a Native American from Texas, who had once dreamed about starting a family but instead faced a soulless system and doctors who withheld information about the foetus having physical defects and risking the woman's death.
In 2022, SXSW puts reproductive rights in the spotlight: one of the festival's two most important keynotes will be delivered by Alexis McGill Johnson (President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America).
At this crucial moment for Roe V. Wade, when the fate of the 1973 judgment is at stake in the US, The Choice utilizes the power of VR to influence the viewer in a way that no other medium can. During the film's world premiere at the IDFA festival in Amsterdam in November last year, the film was received very well by the audience. Importantly, among them were people who – initially reluctant towards abortion – expressed deep empathy for the documentary's protagonist after the screening. Viewers also declared that the film prompted them to rethink their stance on abortion.
The Choice will be shown in film segment of SXSW in March 2022. The experience will be presented in the form of an immersive installation. The protagonist, Kristen, will be present at the screenings to meet with the audience.
A list of all productions presented at the festival can be found here.
Press release