By Francene Blythe

Xiaodan He's film, The Fall Of Womenland, is presentating a discussion of her work to National Geographic divisions on Friday, October 2, at 1 pm. Her film wil be a World Premier screening open to the public on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 2 p.m. in the Grosvenor Auditorium of the National Geographic Society.

Xiaodan He, a Canadian filmmaker from China, has studied film production at the Beijing Film Academy in China from 1993 to 1997. She then worked for the Yunnan Minority Film Studio as an assistant producer and an assistant director. Her first short film, Cairo Calling screened in over 50 festivals around the world winning awards and garnered television sales in both North America and Europe. The Fall of Womenland is Xiaodan's first long documentary.

Coming from the same ethnic background as the Mosuo, Xiaodan will discuss the topic of her film, the Musuo culture, offering insight on women's roles in one of the last remaining matriarchal societies of the world, the unique family structure of the Mosuo culture, the sexual equality between men and women known as the "walking marriage," and how modernity is impacting this custom and culture.

Her lecture and full version of the film, The Fall of Womenland screens publicly Saturday, October 3rd at 2 p.m. in Grosvenor Auditorium. To purchase tickets to the screening, go to http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/films/2009/10/03/all-roads-showcase-the-fall-of-womenland/