THE FORBIDDEN CALL to Screen at Women's Voices Now Grand Prize Event
Belgian filmmaker Marie Mandy joins the Leslie J. Sacks Grand Prize event honoring the festival's founding philanthropist.
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Women's Voices Now will present The Forbidden Call: Women Priests as its annual Leslie J. Sacks Grand Prize Film Screening on Tuesday, September 8 at The London Hotel West Hollywood.
Filmed over the course of 19 years, The Forbidden Call: Women Priests examines the movement of women seeking ordination as Catholic priests and the Vatican's opposition to their ordination.
Since 2002, more than 300 women worldwide have participated in ordination ceremonies as Catholic priests despite the Church's prohibition of the practice and the threat of excommunication. Mandy's documentary follows the movement while examining the theological, political and cultural structures surrounding the Catholic Church's restriction of priestly ordination to men.
About Marie Mandy
Mandy is a Belgian documentary filmmaker and photographer who trained at the London International Film School. Her socially engaged work frequently explores issues surrounding gender, religion and societal taboos through a female perspective.
She currently teaches documentary screenwriting in Paris and Aix-Marseille.
Women's Voices Now Film Festival
Now in its 12th year, the Women's Voices Now Film Festival provides a global platform for documentaries centered on women's rights. The 2026 festival featured 39 films representing 26 countries.
“As global progress faces threats from funding cuts and shifting political climates, these films serve as a vital reminder that storytelling is not just entertainment — it is an act of resistance,” said Women's Voices Now Executive Director Heidi Basch-Harod.
The annual Grand Prize is named in honor of the late Leslie J. Sacks, a Los Angeles-based art collector and philanthropist who was an early supporter of Women's Voices Now.
Screening Details
The evening will feature a screening of the documentary followed by an in-person Q&A with director Marie Mandy, who will travel from France for the event. A complimentary dessert reception will follow for all ticket holders.
The Forbidden Call: Women Priests will screen Tuesday, September 8, 2026 at The London Hotel West Hollywood, 1020 N. San Vicente Blvd. in West Hollywood, California.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Mandy and a complimentary dessert reception.
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