Women and Girls Lead Film Collection

Film Collection

Women and Girls Lead offers a collection of films by prominent independent filmmakers. These films focus on women who are working to transform their lives, their communities, and the world. Films will be added throughout the life of the campaign.
Explore the full list of films

Landmark Mini-Series on Public Television

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

by Maro Chermayeff, Jamie Gordon, and Mikaela Beardsley

This multi-platform project is centered around a four-hour PBS primetime national and international broadcast event based on Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's widely acclaimed book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

Premiered on Independent Lens October 1 and 2, 2012

Kind Hearted Woman

by David Sutherland

In a special two-part series, acclaimed filmmaker David Sutherland creates an unforgettable portrait of Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother and Oglala Sioux woman living on North Dakota’s Spirit Lake Reservation.

A co-presentation by Independent Lens and FRONTLINE, premiered April 1

Watch online

Women, War & Peace

by Abigail Disney, Gini Reticker, and Pamela Hogan

Women, War & Peace, a five-part PBS mini-series, is a global media initiative on the roles of women in peace and conflict.

Watch online

Upcoming Public Television Broadcasts

	The Invisible War by Kirby Dick The Invisible War exposes one of the United States's most shameful and best-kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the military. Today, a female soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. Premiering on Independent Lens May 13, 2013
	Rebel by Maria Agui Carter A detective story about Loreta Janeta Velazquez, a Cuban woman from New Orleans, who served as a soldier and secret agent during the American Civil War. Premiering on Voces May 24, 2013
	The Revolutionary Optimists by Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen Amlan Ganguly, a lawyer-turned social entrepreneur, has sewn hope in the poorest neighborhoods of Calcutta by empowering children to become leaders in improving health, health, transforming their communities for the better. Premiering on Independent Lens June 17, 2013
	Invoking Justice by Deepa Dhanraj Muslim women from a small town in South India deliver justice in their own courts, posing a radical challenge to their traditional Muslim community and clergy Premiering on Global Voices July 14, 2013
	Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai by Lisa Merton and Alan Dater The dramatic story of Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai, whose simple act of planting trees grew into a global movement. Broadcasting on Global Voices August 18, 2013
	Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth by Pratibha Parmar Writer and human-rights activist Alice Walker’s story is an inspiring personal journey of a life lived with passionate commitment to truth and justice – ideals that sprang from a background of poverty and violent racism. Premiering on American Masters Fall 2013

Recent Public Television Broadcasts

	Bhutto by Duane Baughman An intimate look at one of the most fascinating and significant world leaders of our time, Benazir Bhutto.
	Chahinaz: What Rights for Women? by Samia Chala and Patrice Barrat Through her curiosity and self-discovery, Chahinaz, a 20-year-old Algerian student, begins to wonder what life is like for women in other Muslim countries and around the world.
	Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock by Sharon La Cruise A look at the life of African American political activist and newspaper publisher Daisy Bates.
	The Day My God Died by Andrew Levine and Geralyn Dreyfous This unforgettable examination of the growing plague of sex slavery weaves footage from Bombay brothels with stories of young girls whose lives have been shattered by the child sex trade.
	Granito: How to Nail a Dictator by Pamela Yates, Peter Kinoy, and Paco de Onís Discover how a 26-year-old documentary became vital forensic evidence in the trial of a dictator for human-rights abuses.
	I Was Worth 50 Sheep by Nima Sarvestani Sabere was just 10 years old when she was sold to a man in his fifties. For the next six years she was both slave and wife, miscarrying four times. Now 16, she is fighting for her freedom.
	The Interrupters by Steve James A look at a group of men and women — most of them former gang leaders and ex-cons — that are trying to "interrupt" shootings and protect their communities from the violence they once employed.
	Lioness by Meg McLagan and Daria Sommers An intimate look at war through the eyes of women on the front lines and the U.S. military policy that bans them from combat.
	Motherland Afghanistan by Catherine Gund, Sedika Mojadidi, and Jenny Raskin Nearly one in seven Afghan women dies in childbirth. Follow an Afghan American filmmaker and her father to his native Afghanistan, where he brings desperately needed medical attention and expertise to the women most susceptible to maternal mortality.
	Pickles, Inc. by Nitza Gonen and Dalit Kimor In the Israeli Arab village of Tamra, eight widows challenge social conventions and establish the Azka Pickle Cooperative, seeking financial independence for themselves and their children.
	Pushing the Elephant by Beth Davenport and Elizabeth Mandel A story of forgiveness, hope, and the joy of family life, Pushing the Elephant captures one woman’s mission for peace in her country beset by genocidal violence.
	Shadya by Danny Hakim, Udi Kalinsky, and Roy Westler Shadya Zoabi, a charismatic 17-year-old karate world champion, strives to succeed on her own terms within her traditional Muslim village in northern Israel.
	Solar Mamas by Mona Eldaief and Jehane Noujaim Jordanian wife and mother Rafea is leaving home for the first time — to attend a college in India that is training rural women to become solar energy engineers. Part of Why Poverty? Watch online
	Strong! by Julie Wyman Weightlifter Cheryl Haworth struggles to defend her champion status as her lifetime weightlifting career inches towards its inevitable end.
	Troop 1500 by Ellen Spiro and Karen Bernstein Their mothers may be convicted thieves, murderers, and drug dealers, but the Girl Scouts of Troop 1500 want to be doctors, social workers, and marine biologists.
	Waiting for the Revolution by Rodrigo Vazquez Following two newly elected indigenous leaders from the campaign trail to their first year in office, filmmaker Rodrigo Vasquez journeys into the heart of the democratic revolution in Bolivia.
	We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân by Anne Makepeace The Wampanoag nation of southeastern Massachusetts revives their native tongue, a language that was silenced for more than 100 years.
	Welcome to the World by Brian Hill Welcome to the World asks: Is it worse to be born poor than to die poor? This film looks at child and maternal mortality as indicators of poverty in the U.S., Cambodia, and Sierra Leone. Part of Why Poverty? Watch online
	Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Kelcey Edwards Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman. From the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, Wonder Women! looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect society's anxieties about women's liberation. Premiered on Independent Lens April 15, 2013