The U.K.’s Espresso Media Intl. has picked up Shannon Cohn’s “Below the Belt,” a documentary executive produced by Hillary Clinton and Rosario Dawson that explores problems in the U.S. healthcare system that disproportionately affect women.
The film, whose executive producers also include actresses Corinne Foxx (“Dollface”) and Mae Whitman (“Good Girls”), premiered on PBS. Espresso Media is handling global sales for the title outside of the U.S. and will present it to buyers at the forthcoming Mipcom in Cannes.
“Below the Belt” examines healthcare problems that overwhelmingly affect women, such as societal taboos, gender bias, misinformed doctors and financial barriers to care, and how millions are effectively silenced.
The film also explores the devastating impact of endometriosis, which affects one in nine women globally and is considered one of the most common diseases that most people have never heard of. Endometriosis causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside the uterus, potentially causing severe pain and making it more difficult to get pregnant.
“Below the Belt” explores the impact of the disease through the stories of four patients searching for answers to mysterious symptoms and shows how women are often dismissed, discounted and disbelieved.
“So much of women’s health is still not given the attention it deserves,” said Clinton. Women’s health “has been overlooked, ignored and dismissed for far too long. The goal with this film is to change both hearts and minds in ways that lead to progress in policy, research, funding, education and widespread awareness.”
Dawson added: “We deserve to be believed. We deserve to be understood. We deserve to be empowered to understand ourselves, our bodies and any medical treatments presented to us. We deserve better across the entire healthcare system. Below the Belt aims to revolutionize the status quo so that we get what we deserve — the right to live healthy, informed, fulfilling lives.”
Cohn said the story of her film has “been flying under the radar for decades while devastating countless lives. We’ve built a growing social movement that lifts the veil on this unjustness, collaborating with global and local partners in every region of the world — from London and Paris to Dubai, Sydney and beyond. A movement to change policy, improve education, increase awareness and transform the way film can create a real and lasting change in people’s lives.”
Rebecca Nicholls, Espresso Media’s head of sales and acquisitions, noted: “Every woman that I speak to about this film has experienced medical misogyny at least once in her life — including myself. This film is about so much more than endometriosis. It reveals the systemic minimization of medical issues which directly affect women and those assigned female at birth. At a time when feminist activism and reproductive justice are of vital importance, ‘Below the Belt’ is an essential film, and we are proud to bring it to the international market as part of our Mipcom slate.”
