What happens when a woman's voice is finally heard in the Texas statehouse? Shouting Down Midnight is a film about civic engagement and the fight for reproductive freedom. In 2013, Texas State Senator Wendy Davis stood for thirteen hours while she filibustered an anti-abortion bill which would dramatically restrict Texas women's access not just to abortion, but to needed health care services. Our characters are women whose letters Davis read during the filibuster, Davis herself, and one young activist who chose her fate that day. Since then, we've followed these women to understand how that day changed their lives, and why the fight for reproductive freedom is more important than ever.

Gretchen Stoeltje went into a movie theater, fell in love, and never looked back. She chased the dream of making films that centered women’s experiences and produced three independent documentaries before rethinking the math and the relevance of independent feminist filmmaking. After a quick break to earn a juris doctorate and land a secure state job, Stoeltje noticed that her home state was rolling back the human rights of people with uteruses and got back up on the filmmaking horse to make a fourth. Curious, empathic and wry, these films tell the stories of being female, from West Texas rattlesnake queen to post-cold war, mail order bride to turn-of-the-century “every teen” and to pro-choice state legislator. All strive to recast women in their own images and provide authentic dialogue about what it means to grow up female and become the heroine of one’s own story. Does this make them feminist films? Do we need feminist films? Or do we need something more?

*Join us on Wednesday, October 9 from 3:30–5:00 p.m. in 335 Willard Building for Gretchen's post screening discussion titled, “35 Years of ‘F’ Word Filmmaking: The Films of Gretchen Stoeltje”