[133] What's Your Body Image? Filmmaker Tackles Topic At MTSU Oct. 12

WHAT’S YOUR BODY IMAGE? FILMMAKER TACKLES TOPIC AT MTSU OCT. 12
Media Documentaries Are Subject of Free Public Lecture by Jesse Epstein

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 7, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACTS: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385;
Professor Marc J. Barr, 615-898-5118

(MURFREESBORO)—Filmmaker Jesse E. Epstein, creator of award-winning documentaries on body image, media and cultural identity, will screen and discuss her work Monday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in Room 221 of MTSU’s McWherter Learning Resources Center.
Epstein’s appearance, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the university’s Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies and its Distinguished Lecture Fund.
The Boston native, who earned her Master of Arts degree in documentary film and gender studies from New York University, is the creator of “Body Typed,” a series of documentaries on body images of men and women in the media and the ethics of image manipulation.
Her films, “Wet Dreams and False Images,” “The Guarantee” and “34x25x26,” have been called “quirky,” “quietly radical” and “engaging and innovative” and have aired on PBS-TV’s “P.O.V.” They’re distributed to high schools and universities for courses on media literacy, gender studies and women’s studies as well as community education projects.
“Wet Dreams,” winner of the 2004 Online Film Festival Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, tackles the subject of photo retouching and how sex sells. “The Guarantee,” winner of Best Short Film at the Newport International Film Festival, is used in schools to start serious discussions about body image, cultural identity and the often-dangerous pursuits of physical perfection. And “34x25x26,” a look into the inner workings of a mannequin factory, premiered at South by Southwest 2008.
Filmmaker Magazine named Epstein as one of the “25 New Faces of Independent Film” last year. She distributes films through New Day Films, edits the Shooting People daily bulletin and is the founder of a youth video program in Manhattan's Lower East Side. She’s also an instructor for Reel Stories, the Sundance Institute's youth documentary lab.
Epstein recently received a grant from the Chicken and Egg Fund and the Fledgling Fund to produce a fourth segment of the “Body Typed” series.
For more information about the films, visit Epstein’s blog at www.jessedocs.blogspot.com or contact Professor Marc J. Barr of MTSU’s Department of Electronic Media Communication at 615-898-5118.
With three Nobel Prize winners among its alumni and former faculty, MTSU confers master’s degrees in 10 areas, the Specialist in Education degree, the Doctor of Arts degree and the Doctor of Philosophy degree. MTSU is ranked among the top 100 public universities in the nation in the Forbes “America’s Best Colleges” 2009 survey.
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IN BRIEF: Filmmaker Jesse E. Epstein, creator of award-winning documentaries on body image, media and cultural identity, will screen and discuss her work Monday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in Room 221 of MTSU’s McWherter Learning Resources Center. Epstein is the creator of “Body Typed,” a series of documentaries on body images of men and women in the media and the ethics of image manipulation. Her appearance is free and open to the public. For more information about the films, visit Epstein’s blog at www.jessedocs.blogspot.com or contact Professor Marc J. Barr of MTSU’s Department of Electronic Media Communication at 615-898-5118.

For MTSU news and information, visit www.mtsunews.com.

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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For a color JPEG of Jesse Epstein, please contact Gina E. Fann in the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385.

Thanks!