BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — A local women’s collective is raising money through a crowd-funded initiative in hopes of screening a documentary that follows the inspiring stories of nine girls living in developing countries around the world.
The Brooklyn Women’s Collective is hoping to bring “Girl Rising” to a Brooklyn Heights movie theater next month but it needs help from a few dozen film buffs to make it a reality.
Using Gathr, an online crowd-funding platform that lets you bring movies to local venues, the Collective needs to sell a minimum of 75 tickets, priced at $14 each, before a March 24 deadline in order to make the movie a reality.
If the group reaches that minimum, the screening will take place April 8 at Court Street Stadium 12 & RPX, located at 106 Court St., with a portion of ticket sales benefiting girls’ educational programs, according to Lauren Paige Richeson, founder and director of the collective.
If not, the screening won’t take place and no one will be charged for a ticket.
“Girl education is something that’s really important to us,” Richeson said.
The collective’s work often focuses on empowering and educating women in Brooklyn — a vision that’s in line with the documentary’s message.
“We’re women rising,” Richeson said.
Girl Rising, directed by Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins, tells the stories of nine girls living in countries like India, Afghanistan and Ethiopia and the challenges they must confront and overcome to pursue their dreams, according to the film’s website.
Each girl’s story is written by an author from her own country and is narrated by actresses like Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek and Alicia Keys.
The collective, which started last year, includes a core group of mostly women, who, along with volunteers, organize and participate in philanthropic events like food and clothing drives, as well as a mentorship program for girls ages 8 to 12, Richeson said.
The Gathr campaign currently has 18 reservations and needs 57 more in order to bring the film to Brooklyn.
“It’s a way to change the world by a seeing a movie,” she said.
For more information on the screening or to reserve a ticket, visit this website.
