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SCREENING OF "MAESTRA" AND Q&A WITH DIRECTOR KICKS OFF WISDOM OF WOMEN SPEAKER SERIES
The Wisdom of Women Speaker Series got off to a strong start with the February 9, 2024 screening of Maestra and Q&A session with director Maggie Contreras. About 200 students watched and prepared questions about the documentary, which follows five of the competitors at the 2022 La Maestra all-female conductor competition in Paris, during classes the week leading up to Contreras’ visit to campus. She then spent more than an hour during the school day answering their questions, which spanned topics from the filmmaking process and securing funding to how to find and tell the story in 400 hours of footage. “The questions from the students were so thoughtful,” Contreras shared, “They were better than many of the questions we received on the film festival circuit.”
A small, but enthusiastic crowd from the greater RJ community then braved the snow on Friday evening to watch the film, which is Contreras’ directorial debut and was created with a more than 80% female production crew. Contreras again fielded audience questions for more than 30 minutes following the screening. One attendee offered the compliment that he “liked it better than Maestro,” the Oscar-nominated biopic starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan.
Debuting to wonderful reviews at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, Maestra has been shown at dozens of film festivals around the world and is in the process of solidifying distribution plans. After seeing it at the Denver Film Festival, RJ music teacher Julie Bruchs saw an opportunity both to spread the word about its compelling story and the alignment with the school’s theme for this year. Bruchs was instrumental in bringing both the documentary and Contreras to our community and formulating an impactful way for students to engage with the documentary.
Though the film is not yet available in theaters or on streaming platforms, it will be showing on March 2 and 3 at the upcoming Boulder International Film Festival. You can follow the film on Instagram, @MaestraMovie, for soon-to-be-released details and updates on distribution. You can also contact Maggie Contreras with questions on Instagram @MaggieContreras or via the email form on www.MaggieContreras.com.
The Wisdom of Women Speaker Series (WoWSS) is one piece of how Regis Jesuit is animating our theme for the year in which we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Girls Division. Throughout the spring semester, we will welcome five inspiring women from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to share their stories with our community, especially our students. Find the details of the complete series here: www.regisjesuit.com/WoWSS.
ALSO IN THE SERIES:
Dr. Carolyn Love Challenges Students to Find and Use Gifts to Build a Just and Humane World
ALSO IN THE SERIES:
Dr. Carolyn Love Challenges Students to Find and Use Gifts to Build a Just and Humane World
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