Release Date: February 18, 2005

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College’s women’s studies program and the Monmouth branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will present two short films by Nancy Montuori Stein on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Barnes Electronic Classroom in the college’s Hewes Library. A discussion period, moderated by women’s studies coordinator Trudi Peterson, will follow the films.

Stein’s films “Joey” and “Stealing Innocence” are being shown as part of the AAUW-WITASWAN (Women in the Audience Supporting Women Artists Now) initiative. “Joey” is an intimate and vivid portrayal of the lives of children growing up amid gangs and violence on South Los Angeles, while “Stealing Innocence” is a poignant examination of the human cost to the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Using U.S. television news clips and the personal story of two girls, Rachel and Ayat, Stein captures life in the Occupied territories, where the life of Palestinians is severely restricted.

Stein began her career in the music industry working with such artists as REM, Prince and Madonna. In 2001, after many years in music, she quit her long and comfortable career in order to pursue her dream of making movies. Under her production company banner American Girl Productions, Stein has received several independent film awards and the “Women in Film” screenwriting award. She was also a finalist in HBO’s Project Greenlight.

For more information on Stein, visit the Web site www.americangirlproductions.com.

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