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Filmmaker Given Oscar at World Premiere of Film

St. John's, Nfld. --- At the closing Gala of the St. John's International Women's Film & Video Festival, Newfoundland filmmaker Gerry Rogers was given an Oscar by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terre Nash (IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET).



"It was an honour to receive this Oscar", said Terre Nash as she handed the Academy Award that she had won for her film, IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET, to Gerry Rogers after the premiere of Rogers' film MY LEFT BREAST, "but it is more of an honour to give it away--to Gerry for her extraordinary honesty and artistry." It was a fitting end to the closing GALA of the St. John's International Women's Film And Video Festival. The nearly 1000 people who packed the auditorium to see Rogers' film were on their feet giving her a rousing standing ovation even before the credits had finished rolling. The film is ineligible for Oscar consideration because there had been a television broadcast before the nomination process. Nash told the crowd that if Rogers' film had been eligible it would have won. With that, Nash reached in her bag and said, "Gerry should still get an Oscar and I just remembered that I have one in my purse!" With that she pulled an Oscar out of her handbag and to the cheers of approval from the audience, who were on their feet again, gave the statue to Gerry. Rogers' film MY LEFT BREAST is a very personal, moving and often hilarious account of her year long battle with breast cancer, from mastectomy, through chemo and radiation. The film had its world premiere Sunday night at the festival. Festival organizer Wanita Bates said "people laughed through their tears".

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