Film Collection
Explore the full list of films
Landmark Mini-Series on Public Television
 | Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwideby 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 Womanby 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, 2013 |
 | Women, War & Peaceby 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. Premiered October 11, 2011 |
Upcoming Public Television Broadcasts
 | The Graduates/Los Graduadosby Bernardo Ruiz The struggles and triumphs of Latino and Latina students from across the United States are explored through their own eyes in this documentary about the challenges faced in the American public education system. Premiering on Independent Lens October 28, 2013 |
 | Young LakotaBy Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt When South Dakota abortion politics bring political turmoil to the doorstep on the Pine Ridge Reservation, three young idealists and the tribe's first female president have to decide how far they will go to change politics as usual in their own community. Premiering on Independent Lens November 25, 2013 |
 | The New Blackby Yoruba Richen Gay gospel singer Tonex and the head of the National Black Justice Coalition challenge homophobia in the black church and confront traditionally white gay organizations around issues of race. Premiering on Independent Lens June 2014 |
 | Alice Walker: Beauty in Truthby 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 Spring 2014 |
Recent Public Television Broadcasts
 | Bhuttoby Duane Baughman An intimate look at one of the most fascinating and significant world leaders of our time, Benazir Bhutto. |
 | Blessed Is the Matchby Roberta Grossman Narrated by Joan Allen, Blessed Is the Match is the first documentary feature about Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter and modern-day Joan of Arc. Safe in Palestine in 1944, Hannah joined a mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary. Hannah parachuted behind enemy lines, was captured, tortured, and ultimately executed by the Nazis. Broadcasting on Global Voices August 4, 2013 |
 | 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 Rockby Sharon La Cruise A look at the life of African American political activist and newspaper publisher Daisy Bates. |
 | The Day My God Diedby 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 Dictatorby 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 Sheepby 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. |
 | Invoking Justiceby 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 Premiered on Global Voices July 14, 2013 |
 | The Interruptersby 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. |
 | The Invisible Warby 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. Premiered on Independent Lens May 13, 2013 |
 | Lionessby 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 Afghanistanby 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 Elephantby 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. |
 | Rebelby María Agui Carter Shrouded in mystery and long the subject of debate, the amazing story of Loreta Velazquez is one of the Civil War’s most gripping forgotten narratives. Premiered on Voces May 24, 2013 |
 | The Revolutionary Optimistsby 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. Premiered on Independent Lens June 17, 2013 |
 | Shadyaby 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 Mamasby 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? |
 | Strong!by Julie Wyman Weightlifter Cheryl Haworth struggles to defend her champion status as her lifetime weightlifting career inches towards its inevitable end. |
 | Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathaiby 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. |
 | Troop 1500by 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 Revolutionby 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 Nutayuneânby 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 Worldby 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. |
 | Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroinesby 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 |
The viewpoints presented in the catalog of Women and Girls Lead films do not necessarily represent the viewpoints or endorsements of the Women and Girls Lead partner organizations.
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