CHAMPAIGN - Krannert Art Museum will host a screening of the documentary, A Powerful Noise, on May 6, 2008, 7:00 PM, in Room 62 with introductory remarks by the film's executive producer, alumna Sheila C. Johnson.

The film A Powerful Noise weaves the inspiring stories of three ordinary women who have overcome gender barriers to spark unprecedented and remarkable changes in their societies.

- Nada is a survivor of the Bosnian war who has started a multi-ethnic women's group to combat ongoing ethnic tensions and rebuild her hometown of Kravica. She fights fearlessly to increase the ability of women to participate in civic life and helps bring income opportunities to widowed mothers.

- Hahn learned she was HIV-positive after her husband and child died from AIDS. Though Hahn got the virus from her husband, his family and her Vietnamese community blamed and ostracized her. She now runs a self-help group that provides education and care for people living with HIV & AIDS. She is also working to erase the crippling stigma associated with the disease.

- Unlike so many girls in Mali, Jacqueline went to school and received an education. Today, she leads an impressive organization that rescues young girls from forced labor situations, teaches girls much needed job skills and encourages them to stay in school.

Krannert Art Museum, Room 62, May 6, 2008, 7:00 PM

Feature Documentary – 90 minutes, Bambara, Bosnian, Vietnamese with English subtitles

Sheila C. Johnson is an impassioned hilanthropist, visionary, and entrepreneur with a flair for business. She is CEO of Salamander Hospitality, LLC; President & Managing Partner of the NBA's Washington Mystics; and a partner in Lincoln Holdings, LLC. She also serves as a Global Ambassador for CARE, the humanitarian organization whose mission is to fight global poverty. Sheila Johnson is a graduate of the University of llinois where she received a Bachelor of Arts from the School of Music. She was in town to serve as the keynote speaker for the University's Biennial Conference for Women.

As a film producer, she continues to support talented filmmakers whose stories shed light on issues about which she is most passionate. Her first film, Kicking It , premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. And her second, A Powerful Noise , illustrating the inspirational tales of three courageous women, premiered at New York's highly regarded Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2008.