Fadiman film on women of India premieres March 29 Fadiman film on women of India premieres March 29 (March 21, 2001)

"Woman by Woman: New Hope for the Villages of India," a documentary film by Dorothy Fadiman of Menlo Park, will premiere at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at Spangenberg Theatre in Palo Alto.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Chitra Benerjee Divakaruni, author of "The Mistress of Spices" and "Arranged Marriage."

Ms. Fadiman, whose film "When Abortion Was Illegal" was nominated for an Oscar in 1993, documents in her new film the stories of rural women asserting their right to work outside of the home in some of the least developed areas of India. A key mission of the women featured in the film is to help provide basic family-planning advice to try to stem the tremendous rise in population and help women move toward personal freedom in their lives.

Panel discussion participants will include Kavita Nandini Ramdas, president of the Global Fund for Women, and Richard Schlosberg III, president of the David & Lucile Packard Foundation.

Proceeds from the screening will benefit the Association for India's Development. Tickets are $15, general; and $8 for students and people of low income. Group discounts are available. For information and reservations, call 321-6530 or 725-2787.

The theater is at 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto.