Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault’s impactful documentary, Zurawski v Texas, has been awarded the inaugural Artemis Rising Foundation Award for Social Impact at the Hamptons International Film Festival. This newly established award recognizes a film that significantly transforms cultural conversations and challenges the status quo.
Executive produced by notable figures Hillary and Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lawrence, Zurawski v Texas chronicles the experiences of a group of women who unite to sue the state of Texas in 2023 after being denied abortions despite facing serious health risks during pregnancy.
Crow and Perrault will receive a $15,000 cash award, which they are free to allocate as they see fit. The 98-minute documentary, which made its debut at the Telluride Film Festival in September, is currently seeking distribution opportunities.
In a joint statement, Crow and Perrault expressed their aspirations for the film: “Our hope for this film has always been to reach as wide an audience as possible to educate, challenge, and inspire viewers through our film participants’ vulnerability and strength. This award will allow us to continue sparking conversations about women and families’ access to care.”
The Artemis Rising Foundation, led by founder and CEO Regina K. Scully, advocates for narratives that address pressing social justice issues, including gender bias, trauma, mental health, addiction, and women’s empowerment. Over the past two decades, Scully has produced numerous documentaries, including Won’t You Be My Neighbor, Allen v. Farrow, The Invisible War, and To Kill A Tiger, which received an Oscar nomination earlier this year.
Scully commented on the award, stating, “We are proud to award Zurawski v Texas with this year’s Artemis Rising Award. The impending election has sparked greater conversations and fierce compassion around women’s reproductive rights. This film sheds light on the dangerous realities of these issues. It will resonate emotionally with viewers and has the true capacity to enact change in this country.”
On September 24, Bumble hosted an impact screening series that featured Zurawski v Texas and contributed funding toward the documentary’s budget. Variety critic Tomris Laffly noted that the film effectively argues that abortion access—currently supported by Democrats but denied by the Republican Party—should transcend political divides and be treated as a bipartisan issue.
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