Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom Producers: Amanda Mortimer, Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Description:
The Great American Lie is a documentary film that examines how
a US value system built on the extreme masculine ideals of money,
power, and control has glorified individualism, institutionalized
inequality, and undermined the ability of most Americans to achieve
the American Dream. The main topic of this film is arguably one of
the most important issues of our time: social and economic
immobility. Inequality has been on the rise in America for more than
three decades. Middle and low income wages have remained stagnant or
decreased while top earners have seen their wages increase 135% since
1979. Today, the top .1% of Americans owns almost as much wealth as
the bottom 90%. By bringing the unique perspective of gender to this
story, this film expands the conversation around the causes of and
solutions to America’s inequality and division. With our history
and experience in illuminating and challenging limiting gender
narratives in our society, our documentary team is uniquely qualified
to tell this story.
Biography:
Jennifer Siebel
Newsom is a filmmaker, advocate, and thought leader. After
graduating with honors from Stanford University and Stanford’s
Graduate School of Business, she wrote, directed, and produced the
2011 award-winning documentary Miss Representation. As a
result of Miss Representation’s powerful impact, she
launched The Representation Project, a nonprofit organization that
uses film and media as a catalyst for cultural transformation. Her
second film as a director, The Mask You Live In, had its world
premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and explores how
America’s narrow definition of masculinity is harming boys, men,
and society at large. She also executive produced the Emmy
Award-Winning and Academy Award- Nominated documentary The
Invisible War, and is an executive producer on the Emmy
Award-winning documentary The Hunting Ground. Newsom is the
First Partner of California and lives with her husband and their four
children in Sacramento, California.
