Jeanmarie Simpson

A Single Woman is a distinct, lively portrait of Jeannette Rankin (the first American woman elected to Congress; also a suffragist, peace activist and reformer) that takes us from her childhood in 1880's Montana, to her last television interview in 1972. Deliciously political, occasionally chilling, ironic and idiosyncratic, A Single Woman illuminates the role of the individual in the American legislative process with a whimsical amalgamation of storytelling, high-powered discourse and communion. The program is a filmed version of the successful stage play.

OUTSIDER tells the story of Maury Ornest–– on track to be a baseball star when his world was derailed by mental illness. His schizophrenia devastated his life and that of his kin. His sister Laura struggled to understand Maury’s destructive behavior and the limits of her help as she fought to keep her beloved family intact. When Maury died at age 58, Laura discovered over 1400 paintings, sketches, and journal writings that revealed his rich, tormented inner world and demonstrated how painting had saved him. OUTSIDER unfolds visually through Maury’s art and through his writings, voiced by comedian Gary Gulman. The film presents a rarely seen, unvarnished view of a family’s painful journey with mental illness and captures an unexpected way they found connection.

A Single Woman is a distinct, lively portrait of Jeannette Rankin (the first American woman elected to Congress; also a suffragist, peace activist and reformer) that takes us from her childhood in 1880's Montana, to her last television interview in 1972. Deliciously political, occasionally chilling, ironic and idiosyncratic, A Single Woman illuminates the role of the individual in the American legislative process with a whimsical amalgamation of storytelling, high-powered discourse and communion. The program is a filmed version of the successful stage play.