DOCUMENTARY: Chagrin Documentary Film Fest to Include Sobering Look at Women Veterans

The problems of women soldiers who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan are addressed in the new documentary "Service: When Women Come Marching Home." It tells their stories of lost limbs, homelessness, psychological issues, sexual assault and how they can get help.

The film, produced by two former Clevelanders, will be featured in the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday and runs through Sunday.

Director Marcia Rock and composer-writer Patricia Lee Stotter, who were classmates at Shaker Heights High School in the 1960s, collaborated on the project.

"I had previously created a theater piece about widows of Vietnam veterans who had committed suicide, and woke up to the issue of PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder]," said Stotter. "I started working with veterans and using theater as a way to heal them." That led to creating a Facebook group for women vets to share information. About three years ago, she re-connected with Rock, whom she had worked with previously, and they started sketching out plans for "Service."

The film screens at 5 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Rock, who runs the news and documentary program at New York University's Arthur Carter Journalism Institute, shot and edited the documentary, which features several sobering interviews with women vets.

"Women tend to do very well in the military," said Rock, who will be in town Friday. "They can be a full-fledged member of a company. They can be behind you and have your back. But, unfortunately, that's not always the case for them, they don't always receive the same treatment."

Rock chronicled their problems, including military sexual trauma (sexual assault and harassment while in the service), but also wanted to focus her camera on healing. "Women are extremely vulnerable to PTSD and military sexual trauma, but they are faster to heal than men. The VA does have services for women, but they have trouble reaching them. Some women veterans are afraid to go out, so the Internet is a way for them to be anonymous and join a community and discuss these issues until they feel comfortable enough to identify themselves." Links, information and podcasts are available at the documentary's web site: servicethefilm.com.

Now in its third year, the festival addresses a host of social and environmental issues, and spotlights films celebrating the human spirit. Ohio documentaries include "I See Hope: The Art of David Masters" from director Stephen Burks. It follows the trail of abandoned and demolished houses in Cleveland and the man who is making art out of the rubble.

The festival kicks off at 7 Wednesday night at the Chagrin Valley Little Theater with "Where Dreams Don't Fade," a look at the amazing determination of aspiring long-distance runners in Kenya. It was directed by Alex Nichols and Cleveland Heights native Martin Mudry, and also played in March at the Cleveland International Film Festival.