The Mask You Live In

Investigating the causes of toxic masculinity

2015 | Running Time: 97 minutes | Rating: NR

Pressured by media, peers and adults in their lives, boys are pushed into negotiating between staying true to themselves and fitting into narrow definitions of masculinity. They are encouraged to devalue authentic friendships, objectify and degrade women and resolve conflicts with violence. These stereotypes interweave with race, class and circumstance to create a complex web of identities that boys are expected to navigate to become “real” men. In THE MASK WE LIVE IN experts in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, sports, education and media weigh in on these false standards of masculinity and illuminate how we, as a society, can raise a healthier generation of men. THE MASK WE LIVE IN premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Director/Producer/Writer: Jennifer Siebel Newsom; Writer/Producer/Editor: Jessica Congdon; Producer: Jessica Anthony; Executive Producers: Abigail Disney, Geralyn Dreyfous, Sarah E. Johnson, Wendy Schmidt, Regina K. Scully, Maria Shriver

        

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Director, Producer, Writer

Jennifer Siebel Newsom is a filmmaker, CEO, actress, advocate and thought leader. She previously directed MISS REPRESENTATION (2011), which exposes how media and culture contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power in America. Inspired by the impact of her film, she launched The Representation Project, a nonprofit organization using film and media as a catalyst for cultural transformation.

Jessica Congdon, Writer, Producer, Editor

Jessica Congdon has been a filmmaker for nearly 20 years. She also collaborated with Jennifer Siebel Newsom on MISS REPRESENTATION (2011) as a producer, writer and editor. Her documentary credits include directing EMPIRE ON MAIN STREET (2017), editing DOLORES (2017), and co-directing and editing RACE TO NOWHERE (2010). Other editing work includes the Sundance award-winner DOPAMINE (2003).

Las Vegas International Film Festival 2015: Jury Prize for Best Achievement in Female Filmmaking

“The film effectively highlights the unexamined implications of the language associated with maleness.”

Variety