Hafsat Abiola

Six powerful New York organizations will join together to celebrate SWAN Day with a screening of The Supreme Price, Joanna Lipper’s documentary about efforts to increase women’s political power in Nigeria.

New York Women in Film and Television, SAG-AFTRA, the School of Visual Arts Film Department, Women in Arts and Media Coalition, Women Make Movies and HerFlix will do a free screening of the film on Saturday, March 29 at 2 p.m. at the School of Visual Arts Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, New York, New York.  RSVP online.

The Supreme Price tells the story of Hafsat Abiola.  Her father was elected President of Nigeria in 1993 but he was jailed in a military coup before he was inaugurated and later died in prison.  Her mother was assassinated by agents of the military.  After living abroad, Hafsat returns to Nigeria to face the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a democracy that will serve all of Nigeria’s people, including women – the country’s most marginalized population.  View the extended trailer. 

Joanna Lipper

Following the screening, there will be a discussion with the filmmaker and a reception. Joanna Lipper is an award winning filmmaker, photographer, author and lecturer at Harvard University, where she teachers Using Film for Social Change. Other directing and producing credits include Inside Out: Portraits of Children, Growing Up Fast and Little Fugitive.

The Supreme Price was made with generous support from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation and Just Films, ITVS, the Gucci-Tribeca Spotlighting Women Documentary Award, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Women Make Movies and IFP Spotlight on Documentaries. The extended trailer for this film was commissioned by Gucci to launch their global Chime for Change Campaign at TED 2013.