"When I realized that my business had a life, my life, and a face, my face, a voice, my own, and when I realized my work loved me, obeyed me and responded to me, I gave myself over to it completely and I have had since no greater love." Fashion Designer Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel was a self-made woman who helped transform the world of fashion. In the film "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky", the first scene with Coco shows her cutting off her corset with a scissors. "I want to breathe," she says. Chanel's vision was to create elegant and comfortable clothing that allowed women to move freely, thus eliminating the need for the debilitating corset and other undergarments. Her designs were wildly successful, and influenced fashion worldwide. Although Coco died in 1971, her influence lives on. In 2015, Forbes listed Chanel as one of the world's most valuable brands with annual sales topping $5 billion.

Stravinsky was in Paris in the 1920s fleeing the chaos of the Russian Revolution. He elected never to return, eventually settling in Los Angeles. Likewise, Pandora Hodge left her country during the Liberian Civil War, which lasted from 1989-2003. Hodge returned to Liberia, however, and has been working to rebuild her country. She became active in Kriterion Monrovia, an organization that screens films around the country. Kriterion also encourages young Liberians to become filmmakers, themselves. During the Ebola crisis, Hodge and her group used film to educate communities about health care. She is currently working to renovate an art-house cinema in Monrovia, the nation's capital. Pandora Hodge has a Facebook page. Visit to discover more and learn how you can support her mission.

In Syria, people risked their lives to get footage for the documentary, "Little Gandhi". The film profiles the Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar and shows what is happening in the current conflict. Matar was killed in 2011 by the Syrian regime, and his family remains in danger. "Little Gandhi" will be screened for the US Congress on March 15th. The trailer is online for you to view.

Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky Film Review
Blending historical fact with fiction, this film imagines a passionate love affair between two cultural icons of the 20th century. Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen reinvent "Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky".

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art63930.asp

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