Filmmaker Gambles College Savings to Make First Feature, Wins Tribeca Award
The independently-produced feature film 'Blame' took home the best actress prize at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival. But the story of how the movie actually got to the festival in the first place is just as interesting as its subject matter. We're joined now by actress Nadia Alexander, and Quinn Shephard, who wrote, directed, produced, and acted in the film.
Shephard has been working on "Blame," a modern retelling of "The Crucible," since she was 15. She began to make the film at age 20, only to have her main investor pulled out at the last minute.
Shephard liquidated her college fund to pay for the production. When she was left without any money for post-production, she called in favors, worked out deals, and lived in basements while editing it herself.
Actress Nadia Alexander won the Best Actress Award at Tribeca. Both women agree that the #MeToo era has opened more doors for women in the industry.
Marjorie Woods, Owner of Epic Food Group, joins ChedHER to discuss the story behind her company, challenges during the pandemic, and her plans for growth.
The Department of Justice is suing Texas over the state's new abortion law that prohibits abortions after six weeks, well before many women even know they're pregnant. The lawsuit argues the law is unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent. It was filed last week in federal court in Texas, but could go all the way to the high court within weeks. Josh Blackman, a constitutional law professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, discusses the DOJ lawsuit and what it could mean for other abortion laws across the country.
The Biden Administration has officially extended a ban on a Trump-era policy that prohibits traveling with a U.S. passport to North Korea. The extension is expected to last until August 2022. The ban was initially enforced after the death of Otto Warmbier, who entered a vegetative state while in North Korean custody. Advocates against the ban argue that it has caused crippling impacts on Korean Americans who have not been able to reunite with their families back home. Senior Fellow at The Foundation For Defense of Democracies Anthony Ruggiero joined Cheddar's News Wrap to discuss more.
