SUNY Canton Alumna to Host Special Documentary Film Screening Dec. 3

CANTON, NY (11/21/2016)(readMedia)-- SUNY Canton will host a special test screening for a documentary film produced by alumna Lea-Ann W. Berst, class of 1982, titled "Pioneers in Skirts."

The screening will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Richard W. Miller Campus Center's Kingston Theater. The event is free and open to the public; however, RSVPs are required to maintain the documentary's film festival eligibility.

Berst's daughter, Ashley-Maria Sullivan, directed the film and has been recognized by the Director's Guild of America as a director who represents "the future of women in film."

"Pioneers in Skirts" explores the phenomena of why many women in the U.S. experience career burnout shortly after graduating from college. The film takes the viewer on a journey across the United States to meet successful women who found ways to overcome unique obstacles, such as UNC Chapel Hill's Women's Basketball Coach Sylvia Hatchell; Focus Brands Group President Kat Cole; MOZ CEO Sarah Bird; Major General Heidi V. Brown; and famed film and television actor/director Joan Darling.

"This is a film about solutions, change and empowerment," said Sullivan. "It's not acceptable for strong, educated young women to just 'figure it out,' generation after generation. It's not acceptable for experienced professional women to suddenly lose all the energy they had when they started out."

Berst is a business consultant and the owner of Sleddogg Marketing. Sullivan is based in Los Angeles. Both women were invited to Washington, D.C, to participate in the White House Summit on Working Families in 2014.

To RSVP, send an email to stopa@canton.edu or call (315) 386-7446. Current SUNY Canton students, faculty and staff are not required to RSVP. Both Berst and Sullivan will be available for questions immediately following the test screening.

More information on the film can be found at www.pioneersinskirts.com.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 11 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III.

-www.canton.edu-