Documentary Screening: Below the Belt

"We deserve to be believed. We deserve to be understood. We deserve to be empowered to understand ourselves, our bodies and any medical treatments presented to us. We deserve better across the entire healthcare system. Below the Belt aims to revolutionize the status quo so that people with endometriosis get what we deserve - the right to live healthy, informed, fulfilling lives." - Executive Producer, Rosario Dawson

CLS is honored to screen Below the Belt as one of our Documentary Series on January 26th at 6pm - Marking its southern debut. This film came to us by way of one of our dear CLS members, a regarded author who most recently published Know Your Endo, and a true champion for women's health, Jessica Murnane.

The film is supported by a number of women's health advocacies and celebrities: Hilary Clinton, Rosario Dawson, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Mitt Romney, and our very own local celebrity, Jessica Murnane. The undercurrent mission of all who are involved is to provide tools / ways to ask the tough health questions and to be taken serious to a wide female audience who are in search for real solutions. At this screening, Murnane will be welcoming and in conversation with Director and Producer Shannon Cohn.

Tickets are $10 for CLS members and $15 for guests. Free for students by calling the number listed below and showing a valid ID at check in.

About the Film:

In the personal & inspiring stories of four patients urgently searching for answers to mysterious symptoms, Below the Belt exposes widespread problems in our healthcare systems.

Through the lens of endometriosis, a disease that affects 1 in 9 women, the film shows how women are often dismissed, discounted & disbelieved. From societal taboos and gender bias to misinformed doctors and profit-driven healthcare, the film reveals how millions are effectively silenced and how, by fighting back, they can improve healthcare for all women.

About Shannon Cohn:

Cohn is an attorney and filmmaker whose work has appeared on Discovery Channel, National Geographic, among others. Her previous film Endo What? was hailed by Gabrielle Jackson of The Guardian as “film of the year” and by Newsweek as “the first step in a plan for change.”

About the Book:

Know Your Endo (KYE) provides education, awareness, and support for those living with endometriosis. We're working hard to create a bigger conversation around, and better understanding of, this chronic condition.

Education and awareness is great, but actually managing endometrosis can be a little trickier. While there is no cure for endo (and no amount of green juice or self-reflection is going to end the disease), we're determined to help those suffering create more good days than bad. And never let their condition define them.

About Jessica Murnane:

KYE founder Jessica Murnane (who has stage IV endometriosis) transformed her life by empowering herself with the facts and managing her symptoms through diet and lifestyle tools. She's dedicated to helping others do the same. More about her story can be found here.

Along with being a voice for endometriosis, Murnane is also the One Part Plant (Harper Collins) cookbook author and podcast host of One Part Plant turn Should I Be? podcast.

Host or Publisher Charleston Library Society