A Walk to Beautiful

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A Walk to Beautiful

Directed by	Mary Olive Smith,
Produced by	Mary Olive Smith, Steven Engel
Music by	David Schommer
Distributed by	Engel Entertainment
Release date(s)	September 8, 2008 (New York), February 29, 2008 (Los Angeles)
Running time	85 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

A Walk to Beautiful is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Mary Olive Smith and field director Amy Bucher about the mistreatment of mothers who suffer from childbirth injuries in Ethiopia. In 2007, the film premiered and was chosen by the International Documentary Association as the best feature documentary film of the year. The following year, the film was given theatrical release in the United States.

1 Production and Release
2 Plot
3 Reception
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Production and Release

Funding for the film is provided by grants from NOVA, Fistula Foundation, The Marianthi Foundation, UNFPA, The Fledgling Film Fund, and private donors.

A Walk to Beautiful premiered in 2007, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 8, 2008 in New York and on February 29, 2008 in Los Angeles.^[1] ^[2] This same year, the film airs on Public Broadcasting Service's Nova series, starting from May 13, 2008.^[3]

[edit] Plot

A Walk to Beautiful gives the stories of five women in Ethiopia who are ostracised by their family and villages due to their having suffered from obstetric fistula, a serious medical condition caused by severe or failed childbirth in inadequate health care condition. These women lived with sense of loneliness and shame due to the mistreatments and rejections in social interactions. Subsequently, they had to take a long and exhausting journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital so they could receive the medical treatment that is not available in their villages. Arriving at the hospital, the women were given free treatment, which helped them end their sufferings and gain hope in lives.

[edit] Reception

[edit] Critical reation

The documentary was given positive reviews by critics. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 82 out of 100, based on 6 reviews, classifying A Walk to Beautiful as a universal acclaim.^[4] The film was regarded as "competently made, precisely shot and buoyantly humanistic" by Variety magazine,^[5] and Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times commented that "A Walk to Beautiful will leave you speechless two times over – first with despair, then with joy. Neither unmentionable subject matter nor nonexistent commercial prospects can keep this documentary from having a power over your heart that is unparalleled."^[6] According to the New York Time, A Walk to Beautiful quietly criticises a chauvinist society existed in some countries where women are considered "lovers, mothers and servants", and anyone who cannot fulfill these roles is disregarded by their community.^[7]

[edit] Box office

As of February 2008, the film had grossed $7,718 dollars in the United States.^[8]

[edit] Nominations and awards

A Walk to Beautiful was named by the International Documentary Association as the Best Feature documentary film of the year.^[9]^[10] The film also received the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award and Interfaith Award for Best Documentary at the 16th Annual AT&T St. Louis International Film Festival. ^[11]^[12]

At the international Denver Film Festival, the film was given People’s Choice Award for best documentary.^[13]