Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, October 18 2024 @ 05:53 pm
Last modified on Friday, October 18 2024 @ 06:00 pm
Bumble, the Austin, Texas-based female-forward dating app has announced its backing of a new documentary about the impact of abortion laws in the Lone Star state.
Zurawski v Texas is produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s production company as well as Hollywood A-list actress Jennifer Lawrence, and Bumble has funded a series of impact screenings in Austin beginning September 24th, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The company will also fund screenings at Alamo Drafthouse theaters across the country on September 25th to bring light to this issue.
Zurawski v Texas tracks the legal case in which 20 Texas women sued the state in 2023 because its restrictive abortion laws prevented them from receiving necessary medical care, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film follows attorney Molly Duane who is representing the plaintiffs, as well as three of the women at the center of the case, one of whom almost died from complications and suffered permanent damage that left her unable to carry a child.
The film is directed by Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault.
The dire situation for women in Texas has become increasingly clear since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision was issued in 2022. Since then, several states across the country have proceeded to restrict and ban abortion. Texas was one of the first to ban abortions, and was also the first to criminalize women for trying to access abortion care. A vigilante law passed by the state was particularly problematic, as anyone could turn in a woman suspected of getting an abortion and receive a reward from the state.
Bumble’s support for thee screenings pre-dates the new CEO Lidiane Jones’s arrival, and was organized under the former CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd. Selby Drummond, Bumble’s chief marketing officer, told Hollywood Reporter[*1] that the company has “no plans to get into producing films, but we care about this issue a lot. When the Dobbs decision came out we thought, OK, Bumble is going to lean in here. Our mission is to create healthy, equitable, safe relationships. So we were all incredibly personally invested in women’s healthcare. There was a high sense of urgency.”
The Bumble screenings will take place in cities including Washington, Houston, San Antonio, Raleigh and Naples, Florida. The film’s directors will also travel to 18 film festivals this fall to promote the film, its release tied to the upcoming US elections.
“We are working as quickly as we can because we think this film serves as an educational tool about what’s happening in the country,” Crow told HR.