CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC “The Existence of Being a Woman,” a documentary directed by Lili Raquel Spiker, will be shown during the inaugural MCC Student Film Fest at 7 p.m. on March 4.

What does it mean to be a woman? What are unique challenges or opportunities women face? This and more will be explored in “The Existence of Being a Woman,” a film staged through Tiger Student Productions. It will be shown at the inaugural MCC Student Film Fest at 7 p.m. on March 4 at Marshalltown Community College, Helio Portes. Enter through door number 7.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with a red carpet walk. Black tie is optional. There will be water and a popcorn bar and seating is limited to 115 people. It has a run time of 39 minutes.

The film was created by MCC students and overseen by Jocelyn Frohwein, professor of broadcasting and digital media.

“Every year, MCC has a community engagement group that puts on an International Women’s Day panel. Some of the colleges in Iowa are not celebrating International Women’s Day now, but we still are, and my students were really interested in the idea of what it meant to be a woman in today’s environment, and if it’s still a struggle, or if it’s not a struggle. And so that led us to some discussions,” she said.

The film took about a year to create. Seven people who identify as women and either live or work in Marshalltown were interviewed: Frohwein, Nancy Abigail Avila, Ainelle Kabangu Bayile, Ximena Velez Bustos, Angelia Ibarra Singh, Lora Crystal Millbrooks and Aimee Schmidt.

Lili Raquel Spiker served as director and editor. A freshman, she’s majoring in broadcasting and digital media.

“It started with Ana Silva’s (co-director) idea for the documentary. Ana brought it up to professor Frohwein and the advisory board and they approved us for making the documentary. I asked to be a part of the documentary, as I wanted to get more involved with filming and editing,” Spiker said. “I soon became the director (due to people having full time jobs and other responsibilities). I was the person that set up everything, made all the decisions, I bounced a lot of ideas with professor Frohwein and she helped guide us with finalizing all the decisions. I am the sole executive editor. It took me over 300 plus hours of editing to complete the documentary. Ultimately this documentary is representative of Ana’s and my ideas. The documentary is about these seven women. It is such an emotional and powerful experience and it showcases how different backgrounds/cultures affect different women in different ways.”

She added that her hope for the documentary is to open the viewers’ minds to different perspectives and create a sense of empathy for others while empowering women around the world.

Frohwein said one student in the film only speaks Spanish, while another hails from the Congo and others are more local.

About a dozen students worked on the film, including freshman Montana Morgan.

“I’ve always been interested in the behind-the-scenes work that makes events successful, so getting involved with filmmaking felt like a great opportunity to be part of something creative and meaningful,” he said. “My role focuses on event preparation — helping with logistics, setup and making sure everything runs smoothly so the final product can shine.

What I hope to gain from this experience is a deeper understanding of how large-scale events come together, as well as the chance to work with talented people in a fast-paced, creative environment. It’s a great way to build valuable skills, make connections and contribute to something bigger than myself. There’s a unique satisfaction in knowing that even though my work happens off-camera, it plays a crucial role in bringing the entire project to life.”

Frohwein said her role as an instructor is to guide.

“If the students want to do a project, I am more than willing to offer my guidance as help,” she said. “I did have somebody ask me if we would do a men’s panel, and I said, if a student wanted to do it, I’d be all for it. It’s whatever perspective they’re bringing forward that they want to showcase. I am the guide. That is my philosophy with teaching. In the creation of the product, it’s what they want to do.”

The documentary has been entered into six film festivals: The Tallgrass Film Festival, Interrobang Film Festival, Iowa Independent Film Festival, Love Wins International Film Festival, Cambridge Short Film Festival and the 34th Annual Iowa Motion Picture Awards Film Festival.

After “The Existence of Being a Woman” is screened, there will be a showcase of student films from Iowa High School Speech Association’s All State Festival.

“The students’ films that we’re showing have been submitted by their high schools, and we are going to celebrate them in their filmmaking endeavors as well,” Frohwein said. “With those included, the whole event will run about an hour.”

There will be time at the end for questions and answers. The film will not be shown again until after the festival entrees have been judged.

To RSVP to attend, email Morgan at: Montana.Morgan@iavalley.edu.

Director and editor: Lili Raquel Spiker

Codirector and creator: Ana L. Silva Enriquez

Writer: Joaquin Ramirez-Andrade

Photography: Clark Zelaya

Crew: Bocephus Anderson, Ryne Erickson, Jatniel Martinez, Heidi Pena, Tristen Osburn, Riley Thede, Jason Zielstorf, Montana Morgan

Interviewer: Diana Hernandez