Film Screening
COLCOA TELEVISION
PLESSIS’ GIRLS (Elles.. les FIlles du Plessis)
TV Movie/Period Drama, 2016
Runtime: 1 hr 32 min
International Premiere
Director: Bénédicte Delmas
Writers: Bénédicte Delmas, Sylvie Granotier
Cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Blandine Bellavoir, Jean-Michel Martial, Roxane Bret, Noémie Merlan
Synopsis:
Actress Bénédicte Delmas’ directing debut brings to light a little known chapter of the struggle for women’s rights in France. Originally airing on International Women’s Day, the film was a surprise hit. The year is 1971. Nestled deep in a secluded oak grove, a neo-Gothic chateau has been converted into a “technical college” for teenaged, unwed mothers. The institution promises a safe, supportive environment where girls can carry their children to term, regardless of the circumstances of their pregnancy. The reality is something else. The primary concern of the staff seems to be preventing scandal for the girls’ families. As for the girls, they are treated as lost causes that must be set on a narrow moral path by stern authority; their children, if not their entire futures, are in the hands of others. Bridgette, Jacqueline and Marie-France are among the girls who want another option: the right to abortion. And they are willing to fight for it.