Ship landing from Vessel
Rebecca Gomperts lands the ship in Valencia, Spain
 

On Demand

Vessel

by Diana Whitten
Brave activists sail across the world to provide abortions to women with no access to them, and to exchange expertise with local reproductive rights groups.
2014  ·  1h28m  ·  United States
Arabic, Dutch, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili
English, French subs
About the Film

Vessel begins with a young doctor who lived by the sea, and an unlikely idea.  Rebecca Gomperts, horrified by the realities created by anti-abortion law around the world, felt compelled to challenge this issue; her method: provide abortions on a ship in offshore waters.

Her project, Women on Waves, begins as flawed spectacle, a media frenzy, faced with governmental, religious, and military blockade.  But with each roadblock comes a more refined mission, until Rebecca has the revelation that she can use new technologies to bypass law – and train women to safely give themselves abortions using WHO-sanctioned protocols with pills.

From there we witness her create an underground network of emboldened, informed activists, working at the radical cutting edge of global reproductive rights, who trust women to handle abortion themselves. Vessel is Rebecca’s story: one of a woman who heard and answered a calling, and transformed a wildly improbable idea into a global movement.

Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Festivals and Awards
2014
SXSW Film Festival, Winner: Special Jury Recognition for Political Courage
2014
SXSW Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
New Orleans Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Documentary Feature Competition, Audience Choice Award
2014
Bergen International Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Sarasota Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Hot Docs, Toronto, Official Selection
2014
Boston Independent Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Nantucket Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
San Francisco DocFest, Official Selection
2014
Sheffield International Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Mountain Film Festival, Official Selection
2014
Nantucket Film Festival, Winner: Adrienne Shelley Award for Excellence
2014
Sheffield DocFest, Winner: Peter Wintonick Award
In the Press
Review
That Shelf Staff That Shelf
Review
THR StaffThe Hollywood Reporter
Review
Andrew BarkerVariety
Interview
Literal Magazine StaffLiteral Magazine
Review
Director
Diana Whitten
Producer
Diana Whitten
Producer
Mitchell Block 
Co-Producer
Elissa Brown
Editor
Simeon Hutner
Soundtrack Composer
Todd Griffin
Soundtrack Composer
Heather McIntosh
Animator
Emily Hubley

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