Breaking the Silence: A Special Screening and Discussion of Below the Belt
Free to attend | All Ages
In-Person at the Discovery Center | Directions
Virtual attendance for discussion via Zoom.
Free | ASL services and film captioning provided
Join the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center and the Women+ Connect and Women of Color Connect Employee Resource Groups for a compelling evening featuring the critically acclaimed documentary, Below the Belt which centers around the disease of endometriosis and sheds light on systemic healthcare challenges related to women’s healthcare.
About the Film:
About the film: Directed by Shannon Cohn (Endo What?) and executive produced by Hillary Clinton, Rosario Dawson, and Corinne Foxx, Below the Belt tackles societal taboos, gender bias, and financial barriers. The film explores how millions are silenced in the face of inequity and what can be done to create a more inclusive healthcare system.
The screening will be followed by an engaging discussion featuring Sonia Rastogi, Senior Program Officer with the Gates Foundation’s Gender Integration team, and film director Shannon Cohn. The discussion will offer insights into the critical issues highlighted in the film and actionable steps toward healthcare equity. Join us to learn, connect, and engage in meaningful dialogue about improving healthcare for everyone.
Event Schedule:
4 p.m. Doors open and Reception
4:30 p.m. Film Screening
5:30 p.m. Panel Discussion and Q&A (Virtual livestream begins)
6:15 p.m. Reception resumes and time to explore galleries
7 p.m. Doors Close
Documentary films tell us stories of social importance. They reveal hidden truths, touch our emotions, and catalyze action for change.
Shannon Cohn, Director Below the Belt
Below the Belt Trailer
Speakers
Sonia Rastogi, Senior Program Officer, Gender Integration team in the Gender Equality Division at the Gates Foundation
Sonia is a public health, gender and gender-based violence practitioner with 15 years of experience working in development and humanitarian settings in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific as well as the U.S. She is humbled by the opportunity to work with women and girls around the world in their pursuit for a safer and more just future. She enjoys documentaries, live music, foodie adventures and the wild outdoors.
Shannon Cohn, Filmmaker and Director of Below the Belt
Shannon Cohn is a filmmaker, lawyer and social movement builder who has worked across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas on topics related to gender equity in health.
Shannon’s films are catalyzing tools for multifaceted social impact plans that create meaningful changes in women’s health. Including dramatically increased research funding, federal policy changes, medical education initiatives, and widespread public awareness. Shannon co-taught a Bioethics class at Harvard Medical School in 2023 utilizing the film.
Shannon’s previous film Endo What? was called “the first step in a plan for change” by Newsweek and “film of the year” by The Guardian. Before Shannon was a filmmaker, she practiced international law and was part of the team that prosecuted Enron Corp. in the largest white-collar crime investigation in FBI history.
