■ Content

 Freeheld

2007｜USA｜Documentary｜Color｜38 min｜English

A terminally ill New Jersey police officer struggles against city council's decision to deny the transfer of her pension to her domestic partner in documentary filmmaker Cynthia Wade's earnest look at one woman's fight for equal rights in the land of the free. Veteran lieutenant Laurel Hester is a police officer who has dedicated 25 years of her life to serving the community. Upon learning that she has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Hester seeks to provide for longtime partner, Stacie Andree, by transferring her pension. A wrinkle arises in Hester's plan, however, when the elected officials of New Jersey county ("The Freeholders") deny Hester's humble request. Without transfer of the funds, Andree will lose the home that the couple has spent their lives building together. Now, as their friends and neighbors rally around in support of the couple, Hester is forced to spend her final days not simply enjoying the company of the one she holds dearest, but racing against the clock to ensure that the love of her life won't be destitute due to a broken and biased system.

■ Filmmaker

Cynthia Wade

Cynthia Wade won an Academy Award® in 2008 and was nominated for her second Academy Award® in 2013.  She’s won festival awards all over the world, include two awards at Sundance, three awards at Palm Springs, and prizes in Aspen and the Hamptons film festivals, as well as film awards in Spain, Italy, Argentina and Belgium. She directs films for clients such as HBO, Cinemax, Sundance Channel, IFC Channel, and PBS. Her commercial clients include Dove, Hershey, Proctor & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Sesame Street, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, Salix, Shire, the National Guard and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

■ Product Information
Distribution: Taiwan Women's Film Association
Content: Women Without A Pause: A Universal Reality+Freeheld
Subtitles: Chinese/English
Format: DVD