Women’s Day USA and University of Southern California Hosted a Screening of Freedom from Despair in Academy Artist Series

March 22, 2005 – In Celebration of Women’s Day (March 8) and Women’s Month, Women’s Day USA hosted a screening of Brenda Brkusic’s documentary film Freedom from Despair together with the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. Beata Pozniak, the renowned actress who spearheaded the bill to recognize Women’s Day in the US joined Brkusic at the screening. Pozniak performed the voice over in Brkusic’s award-winning film along with actors Michael York and John Savage. The film screened as a part of the Academy Artist Series class where Academy Award winning Artists show their work and speak to students about the filmmaking process. Brkusic was honored to be invited by the department to share her work and the stage with Pozniak. James Ragan, head of the Professional Writing Program, and Mel Shavelson, filmmaker and former President of the Writer’s Guild of America moderated the discussion after the film.

Ragan opened the event by stating that the film spoke very deeply to him on many levels because as a child growing up in the Czechoslovakia he experienced very similar events to the suffering that Croatians endured under in Communist Yugoslavia as dipicted in the film. The two hour discussion generated many questions from students about Brkusic’s experiences in making the film. Students then wrote their own stellar reviews of Brkusic’s film after the class.

Ragan told Brkusic “our students truly enjoyed your advice and insight, thank you again for your generosity,” while Shavelson told Brkusic and Pozniak ”even if it hadn’t been Women’s Day, you brought a load of passion and talent to last night’s running of “Freedom from Despair” at USC. You heard the interest of the students, who had never been shown a documentary before (in the Academy Artist Series class); Interest not only in the film itself, but in the two of you as examples of what can be done, even in this town, by starting from scratch. It was an education for me, as well, because it’s been too long since I had my own freedom from despair.”

When asked about her decision to participate in a student film Pozniak told students that it was the drive, determination and passion Brkusic possessed that inspired her to work with Brkusic in the first place. It was reminiscent of the same determination Oliver Stone recognized in Pozniak when he chose her for a leading role in his film JFK. "If someone shows their passion, you are drawn to that person because you can see that they are unstopable and that they will do it with you or without you, and I saw that in Brenda. Those are the type of people who do things in life." The result was a multi award-winning film that is currently being sought out by major distributors from all over the USA and Europe.

www.freedomfomdespair.com