[Theater Screening] Rebel Hearts

Synopsis

In 1960s Los Angeles, The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary fought for equality, their livelihoods, and freedom against an all-powerful Cardinal who sought to keep them in their place. Their bold acts of faith, defiance and activism turned the church upside down, helping to reshape our society in ways that continue to resonate today. Pedro Kos’s Rebel Hearts combines two decades of never-before-seen incredible archival footage and stunning animation to beautifully illustrate the story of these incredible women.

This in-theater screening includes a moderated post-film conversation. Panelists include director Pedro Kos, producer Shawnee Isaac-Smith and film subjects Lenore Navarro Dowling and Rosa Manriquez, moderated by Jenelle Riley, Editor of Variety.

Panelist Bios

Pedro Kos, Director

Pedro Kos most recently wrote and produced Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer’s Netflix Original Documentary The Great Hack which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA® award and shortlisted for an Academy® Award. His feature directorial debut Bending The Arc (co- directed with Kief Davidson) premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Previously, he edited Jehane Noujaim’s Academy® Award nominee The Square which earned Pedro an Emmy® Award for Best Editing for a Non-Fiction program, Lucy Walker’s Academy® Award nominee Waste Land and The Crash Reel (2013 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award winner), Jon Shenk’s The Island President (2011 TIFF Documentary People’s Choice Award winner) among others. Pedro is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and received his B.A. in Theater Directing from Yale University.

Lenore Navarro Dowling, Subject

Lenore Navarro Dowling, IHM PhD is a native Angelino, who taught at Immaculate Heart College and Rio Hondo College. She received her MFA in Cinema from Columbia University, NYC and joined Corita Kent in the Immaculate Heart College Art Department, teaching film classes. She later earned her PhD in Communications/Cinema from USC. After Immaculate Heart College closed in 1980, she taught classes in English and in film studies at Rio Hondo Community College in Whittier.

Rosa Manriquez, Subject

Rosa Manriquez is a third generation Latinx mother and grandmother from East Los Angeles. A lifelong Catholic, she was educated by the IHMs from first grade through college and holds an M.A. in Theology. Rosa has been part of the Immaculate Heart Assembly Planning Committee, the Invitation and Program Committee, and is part of the Commission on Justice for Immigrants and Refugees and the Antiracism Task Force. Rosa is an ordained Roman Catholic priest and a member of Roman Catholic Womenpriest. She is a celebrant for Holy Wisdom Catholic Community and is part of the Good Troublemakers, an antiracism committee. Through A La Familia, part of the HRC, Rosa was a speaker concerning the intersection of familia, religion and the LGBTQ community. Rosa’s focus is service to the LGBTQ community and people of color. Her passion is her familia: her daughters, their wives, and her grandchildren.

Shawnee Isaac-Smith, Producer

Shawnee Isaac-Smith earned a master’s degree in Film, Media & Theatre Arts from UCLA. Following her passion for documentary films and storytelling she has traveled to Burma to film the war atrocities committed in the Shan State and has chronicled the lives of AIDs orphans in Cambodia. Twenty years ago, she began filming the lives and work of the Sisters of the Immaculate, women who exemplify a modern day hero’s journey, and lives she and her team are excited to share with you today.