Portland Woman Travels the World to Promote The Sport of Roller Derby

Portland, July 17th, 2013.  Flat Track Around the World is a feature-length documentary following Juvie Hall as she, “Searches for the soul of women’s flat track roller derby.”  Currently one of the fastest growing sport in the world, roller derby is described by its fans as the intersection of feminism, international development, and grassroots, community-level change. It is having an impact on the women who play, their families, and communities.

In her first few years of playing roller derby for the nonprofit Rose City Rollers, Juvie Hall, found herself growing and changing—both physically and emotionally. The strength, confidence, and community she gained from women’s roller derby empowered her to transform her life and find her passion and voice. Filmmaker Cynthia Lopez follows Hall’s travels to find out In the how roller derby is impacting women worldwide.

With filmmaker Cynthia Lopez documenting the journey, Juvie will travel to and skate with women’s roller derby leagues in nine countries around the world: Mexico, Peru, Brazil, France, Norway, Israel, Russia, Singapore, and Australia. This diverse itinerary includes wealthy countries, poor countries, countries with highly populated urban areas, countries with mostly rural communities, countries with numerous and well-established roller derby leagues, and countries where roller derby is new or isolated.

The goal of the documentary is three-fold:

1. to explore whether roller derby is a universally transformational experience for the women who play it, regardless of cultural or socio-economic differences;
2. to discover how women around the world are harnessing the power of roller derby to change their own lives and communities; and
3. to spread the love of roller derby and encourage more women to tap into its transformational power.

The women had a fundraiser  at At Large Films, as well as conversation about an unconventional movement that is changing women’s lives and possibly fueling a global revolution.

Derby player Juvie Hall and filmmaker Cynthia J. Lopez are co-producing the documentary series Flat Track Around the World, taking viewers on an epic world-wide roller derby adventure, sharing the first-hand stories of women whose lives and communities have been impacted by this sport, and exploring the possible long-term impact of this “fourth wave of feminism.” A global revolution is in the making and Flat Track Around the World is on the front lines.