Faced with mounting fatalities as the debate over abortion rages in France, Simone Veil, French Minister of Health, played with depth and restraint by Emmanuelle Devos, is spearheading the movement for legalization. It is 1974. Veil, an Auschwitz survivor, is subjected to aggressive anti-Semitic attacks for her advocacy, including defamation that draws dark comparisons between her efforts to decriminalize abortion and Jewish blood libel. Veil, a masterful politician and one of the few women in government, builds coalitions among unlikely allies. La Loi explores her complex relationship to her colleagues and to the larger feminist movement in France.
NEW ENGLAND PREMIERE
Post-film panel discussion with ACLU of Maine executive director Alison Beyea, moderated by University of Maine School of Law Dean Danielle Conway
Reception follows at The Press Hotel. Cash bar.
Globe de Cristal Award - Best Television Film nomination
Monte Carlo Television Festival - Best Television Film nomination, Best Actress (Emmanuelle Devos)
...a cool, elegant historical film that's well-paced and involving. Chris Knipp for SFJFF
**Ticket-holders should arrive 15 minutes early to guarantee seating.