14th
May 2018
Nashville Film Festival
- Monday, May 14 @ 7pm
- Regal Hollywood 27, Nashville, Tennessee
To A More Perfect Union: U.S. v Windsor is a feature-length documentary that tells a story of love, marriage and a fight for equality. The film chronicles unlikely heroes -- octogenarian Edie Windsor and her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, on their quest for justice: Edie had been forced to pay a huge estate tax bill upon the death of her spouse because the federal government denied federal benefits to same-sex couples – and Edie’s spouse was a woman. Deeply offended by this lack of recognition of her more than forty-year relationship with the love of her life, Edie decided to sue the United States government – and won. Windsor and Kaplan’s legal and personal journeys are told in their own words, and through interviews with others of the legal team, movement activists, legal analysts, well-known supporters and opponents. Beyond the story of this pivotal case in the marriage equality movement and the stories behind it, the film also tells the story of our journey as a people, as a culture, and as citizens with equal rights.
Watch Trailer Register for UpdatesA vivid and triumphant tale
To A More Perfect Union: US v. Windsor Director and Producer Donna Zaccaro is the founder and President of Dazzling Media and Ferrodonna Features Inc. Both are New York-based media production companies – one for profit and the other nonprofit, with a mission of producing films about women, women’s issues and social justice issues. Previously, Donna served as the director and producer of Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way, a critically-acclaimed documentary about the trailblazer who made history as the first woman to run for national office on a major party ticket. Prior to founding her media production companies, Donna was a longtime, award-winning producer for the “Today” show at NBC News. She has also worked in other industries including politics, public affairs marketing and communications, and began her career in investment banking.
Donna holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and an MBA in General Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Paula Heredia is a Salvadoran award-winning documentary producer, director, and editor, who has been honored by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with an Emmy® for her work in the acclaimed HBO documentary In Memoriam, NYC 9/11/01. She has also been the recipient of the prestigious American Cinema Editors-ACE Eddie Award® for the acclaimed documentary Unzipped, and the Hispanic Creative Award for her director’s work in Teniendo Un Bebe. She received her second ACE Eddie Award® nomination for the HBO series The Weight of the Nation. For her documentary Africa Rising, Paula received the Best Woman Director Award at the International Documentary Film Festival in Soria and at the Festival of Cine Invisible in Bilbao, Spain. Her most recent film Alborada premiere at the Habana Film Festival in Cuba, and this year for her film Toucan Nation Paula received the Humane Society’s Genesis Award for “creating outstanding works that raise awareness of animal protection issues“.
Appropriately for Women’s History Month, with Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way, Donna created a film to keep her mother's legacy alive for future generations. To a More Perfect Union: U.S. v Windsor memorializes another life, Edie Windsor’s, and her fight for marriage equality alongside her attorney Roberta Kaplan. “Made by a New York woman, about New York women who made history, it is riveting, impactful, and not to be missed” says Brette McSweeney, the Executive Director of The Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee. Read Article »
Donna Zaccaro accomplishes a whole lot in just 62 minutes. Her new film, To A More Perfect Union: US v. Windsor — which screens in the coming week as part of the Winter Film Awards 2018 International Film Festival — not only tells the personal story of the remarkable woman who triumphed over the Defense of Marriage Act, and the legal strategy behind that victory, but also deftly encapsulates key threads from the past half-century of LGBTQ history in the process. Read Article »
The Impact DOCS Awards have announced their 2018 winners - and To A More Perfect Union: U.S. v. Windsor has won an “Award of Excellence” for Documentary Feature! Impact DOCS Awards’ mission is “To support and promote filmmakers who are IMPACTING the critical issues of our times by producing entertaining and enlightening documentaries.” We, at Ferrodonna Features, are thrilled to receive such an honor, and we thank Impact Awards for such wonderful recognition and support. impactdocsawards.com
To A More Perfect Union: US v. Windsor has been officially selected to participate in the Winter Film Awards 2018 International Film Festival. The film has been nominated for an award in the Documentary Competition category and will be part of a “Made by Women Double Feature”. The screening on Tuesday, February 27th at 7:45pm at New York's Cinema Village, will be the NYC Premiere of the film. Director Donna Zaccaro will participate in a Q&A after the screening. Those interested can also sign up here for updates.
I feel honored and appreciative that I was able to contribute to Edie Windsor’s legacy and share the story of her landmark case and extraordinary life in my film To A More Perfect Union: U.S. v. Windsor. I am so sad that she is no longer with us - though know that her inspiration and leadership will live on. Edie affected many lives and truly changed our country – making ours a more perfect union.
The Woodstock Film Festival would like to take a moment to celebrate the life of Edie Windsor, who passed away September 12, 2017. Edie was a spirited and courageous woman who left a mark on our world with her dedication to LGBTQ rights. We are thrilled that the film To a More Perfect Union: U.S. v. Windsor, depicting Edie’s story, will have its world premiere at this year’s festival.
We are proud to announce that To A More Perfect Union recently won two of their prestigious awards:
We are proud to announce that To A More Perfect Union will premiere at the 18th Annual Woodstock Film Festival! Buy tickets here »
Location: Bearsville Theater, 291 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY
The stories in the film are presented in a non-linear fashion, with personal stories woven into the legal, cultural and historic stories being told. That said, the film builds in dramatic tension to the climatic Supreme Court argument and consequent decision. The film self-narrates through the use of extensive interviews conducted for the film, archival news and cultural footage, as well as personal footage from and of the subjects.
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The film is not available for purchase at this time. Please sign up to be alerted when it becomes available for purchase. In the meantime, those interested in seeing the film should look at the Upcoming Screenings section for screenings near them.
View Screenings Register for UpdatesFerrodonna Features is a nonprofit (501C3) production company with a mission of producing films about women, women’s issues, and social justice issues.