Films

100 Years is the underdog tale of the unrelenting activist and tribal elder, Elouise Cobell, who led a 30-year fight against the U.S. government.

93Queen follows a group of tenacious Hasidic women who are smashing the patriarchy in their community by creating the first all-female volunteer ambulance corps in NYC.

Football and feminism collide when former NFL cheerleaders battle the league to end wage theft and illegal employment practices.

Ahead of the Curve is the story of one of the most influential women in lesbian history you’ve never heard of and the impact her work continues to have today.

A documentary about the trailblazing tennis star Althea Gibson.

Grace Lee Boggs (BC ‘35) is a 98-year-old Chinese American woman living in Detroit. A writer, activist, and philosopher rooted for more than 70 years in the civil rights movement.

Ann Richards’ Texas is a new feature-length documentary about the late Texas Governor Ann Richards (1933 -2006) one of the most beloved Democratic politicians of her day.

The work of two nuns outside a Chicago-area deportation center introduces us to the tumultuous and engaged world of U.S. Catholic nuns in the fifty years following Vatican II.

A‌ ‌powerful‌ ‌exposé‌ ‌of‌ ‌human‌ ‌rights‌ ‌abuses‌ ‌in‌ ‌women’s‌ ‌prisons.‌ ‌

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives captures a spirited group of women who taught themselves how to deliver babies on a 1970s hippie commune.

An exhilarating journey with choreographer Elizabeth Streb who pushes the boundaries between action, art and daring.

BRAVE MISS WORLD is the inspiring story of a former Miss World, who after experiencing a violent abduction and rape, battles for justice and devotes her life to helping other survivors.

The story of a family’s complicated love, this hilarious and heart-rending film is an intimate portrait of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher’s unique mother/daughter relationship and Hollywood royalty in all its eccentricity.

Butterfly is an intimate portrait of Irma “The Butterfly” Testa, a talented 18-year-old, who is the first female Italian boxer to be selected for the Olympic Games.

Documentary filmmakers Gund and Kyi unearth previously unpublished material and footage to give us a captivating look at the unconventional life of beloved performer Chavela Vargas.

Founded by Christine Schuler Deschryver and Dr. Denis Mukwege in conjunction with feminist activist, Eve Ensler, City of Joy is a community for women survivors of sexual violence where they can process their trauma, heal, and give back to their communities.

When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software misidentifies women and darker-skinned faces, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms.

Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock tells the story of a forgotten civil rights activist, Daisy Bates who became a household name in 1957 in her assistance of the nine black students who fought for the right to attend the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

With their country at war and her parents’ marriage falling apart, 12-year-old Dalya and her mother leave Aleppo, Syria, to join her brother in Los Angeles.

Drawing on unprecedented, years-long access, the film explores Denise Ho’s remarkable journey from commercial Cantopop superstar to outspoken political activist.

Dreamcatcher explores the cycle of neglect, violence and exploitation which each year leaves thousands upon thousands of girls and women feeling that prostitution is their only option to survive.

When Rachel Cowan, an influential mindfulness teacher, and the first female Jew by choice ordained as a Rabbi, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, she turned dying into an opportunity to experience gratitude.

Stonewall, the feminist movement, and the experimental cinema of the 1970s, set the stage for lesbian filmmakers to transform how society views queerness.

Risking It All for True North

At only 25, Maria Toorpakai Wazir is an internationally-celebrated squash player, but in her home country of Pakistan, she faces opposition for her rejection of customary gender roles and refusal to conform to tradition.

Granny’s Got Game is a documentary film about a senior women’s basketball team in North Carolina. These seven fiercely competitive women in their seventies battle physical limitations and skepticism to keep doing what they love.

Malala Yousafzai is both an extraordinary leader and an ordinary teen. After the Taliban’s attack on the young Pakistani school girl, she became an outspoken advocate for education and girls’ rights, as well as the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Six breakthrough African American female entertainers use their artistry and activism to challenge an industry that was hell bent on keeping them out.

Activist and actress Mariska Hargitay investigates the alarming backlog of untested rape kits that have denied justice to survivors of sexual assault for decades. I Am Evidence reveals pervasive problems within the U.S. criminal justice system and sends a powerful message that this travesty must be stopped.

Watch Jennifer Leitham perform and it’s obvious the striking redhead is an original. When this world-famous jazz bassist takes center-stage, she’s a special talent made all the more unique because Jennifer Leitham began her life and career as John Leitham.

Ida Lupino was the only woman director in the 40s in Hollywood, for almost one decade. She made movies about women, avant garde subjects as rape, bigamy and abortion. In the Directors Guild, she was the only woman in front of 1300 male directors.

A powerful critique of the economic and social inequities that divide the United States, It’s Criminal follows a group of Dartmouth College students who, as part of a college class, work with female inmates in a rural jail to create and perform an original play.

A deeply intimate portrait of mothers and daughters and the effects of trauma, Jacinta follows a young woman in and out of prison as she attempts to break free from an inherited cycle of addiction, incarceration and crime.

Performance artist and writer, Kate Bornstein, deconstructs gender – and her own identity.

Join this unforgettable group of plus-sized women from around the world as they trek to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Filled with suspense and intensity, this emotional journey will leave you breathless. Some dreams do come true.

A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner’s daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother in Nevada and a registered nurse in Missouri build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress.

A leader of the fight for LGBT equality from the days of Stonewall, black, trans activist, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, has never received recognition for the impact of her contributions — until now.

An intimate profile of Gloria Allen, Chicago’s trailblazing Black transgender elder icon who started a charm school for homeless trans youth and is now aging with joy and grace.

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl’s documentary tells the tale of a true American legend, Wilma Mankiller, a community organizer-turned-political leader who defied all odds to make a difference for her people.

Reaching the top of the hip-hop dance world in 2010, sisters-in-dance, Martha and Niki, found themselves in the challenging position of being the only women in a male-dominated sport.

Mavis! Chronicles the inspiring career of gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the ’60s, Mavis has stayed true to her roots and inspired millions along the way.

Guess what, America? Sexism still exists in the U.S., despite the fact that women are a majority of our population. Miss Representation explores women’s underrepresentation in positions of power and influence in America by challenging the limited portrayal of women as encouraged by the mainstream media.

This documentary, directed by Barbara Kopple, tells the stirring story of Sharon Jones, a true soul survivor who’s been called “the female James Brown” for the energy she and her band The Dap-Kings bring to the stage. The film follows Sharon Jones as she battles cancer, struggles to keep her band together and mount a comeback show at New York’s Beacon Theater.

One weekend a year, the Illinois town of Kewanee turns into a place of celebration and delight, as the annual Miss You Can Do It pageant spotlights young girls with disabilities from around the country.

During the height of her career, at the same time she was named best player in the world, Ada Hegerberg made the remarkable decision to step away from the Norwegian national team due to the unequal treatment of the men and women’s teams.

As the internet becomes the next frontier of civil rights, three women who are targets of harassment confront digital abuse and strive for equality and justice online.

Now En Español is an entertaining portrait of the five dynamic Latina actresses who dub Desperate Housewives for Spanish language audiences in the US as they fight for a more diverse and visible portrayal of themselves and their community.

Like all Israeli youth, Atalya is obligated to become a soldier. Unlike most, she questions the practices of her country’s military, and becomes determined to challenge this rite of passage.

Shoni Schimmel, a high-school junior living on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon, was one of the best high school basketball players in the country.

With deep compassion and an elegance that matches her calm and steely demeanor, 23 year-old Nadia Murad survives the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq and escapes ISIS to become a relentless beacon of hope for her people.

A lifetime demanding self-defense, one night they fought back.

This film tells the story of Tamara Loertscher, a rural Wisconsin mother who was jailed after telling her doctor about her occasional drug use before she knew she was pregnant and her fight to overturn Wisconsin’s ‘Unborn Child Protection Act.’

Picture A Scientist chronicles the groundswell of researchers writing a new chapter for women scientists.

Canadian musician Kinnie Starr goes on a quest to find out why only five percent of music producers are women. Through conversations with some of the leading talents and voices in the field, Play Your Gender asks what it takes for a female producer to make it in the music industry.

Political Animals presents an exciting portrait of two stories — the history of the legislation that paved the way for marriage equality, and the first four openly gay female legislators who championed the movement.

Power Meri follows the PNG Orchids, Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby team, on their journey to the 2017 World Cup in Australia.

Chronicling three years in the life of a young Native American woman, Pure Grit is a thrilling and intimate tale of extreme bareback horse racing, young love and hope when all seems lost.

Meet the female musicians who choose to be Mariachi in Mexico City.

Queering the Script examines the rising power of the fans and audience shaping representation on TV.

When the Vatican publicly admonishes a group of American nuns for their “radical feminism”, they find themselves and their work at the center of a long overdue debate that straddles issues of social justice, women’s rights, and the future of the Catholic Church.

Shrouded in mystery and long the subject of debate, the amazing story of Loreta Velazquez, Confederate soldier turned Union Spy, is one of the Civil War’s most gripping forgotten narratives. Who was she? Why did she fight? And what made her so dangerous that she has been virtually erased from history?

Restless Creature allows the audience extraordinary access to a behind the scenes world at the New York City Ballet with long-time principal dancer, Wendy Whelan, as she faces injury, retirement, and having to redefine herself as a dancer.

Jessica Cox was born without arms but managed to overcome many challenges to become independent. She types, drives a car and, amazingly, flies an airplane with her feet. Right Footed follows Jessica as she transforms into a mentor and advocate for persons with disabilities.

A Heartfelt Stand Up features Rosie O’Donnell in a hybrid form of standup comedy, inspired by her recent near-fatal heart attack.

Filmmaker Tracy Heather Strain delivers a moving account of the life of black playwright, communist, feminist, lesbian, and outspoken trailblazer Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), a pivotal voice among black intellectuals of her time. In Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart, Tracy Heather Strain unveils the woman behind the words, revealing what it meant to be young, gifted and black in Hansberry’s world and remembering a light lost way too soon.

Soufra follows the unlikely and wildly inspirational story of social entrepreneur and refugee, Mariam Shaar – a stateless refugee who has spent her entire life in a Lebanese refugee camp. The film follows Mariam as she sets out to launch a successful catering company, Soufra, and then expand it into a food-truck business with a diverse group of women from Syria, Iraq, and Palestine—who also call the camp home.

The Speed Sisters are the first all-women race car driving team in the Middle East. They’re bold. They’re fearless. And they’re tearing up tracks all over Palestine.

Using only archival footage from Julia Gillard’s three-year term as prime minister, this film is an honest portrait of Australia’s response when a woman took the top job.

17­-year old Claressa “T­-Rex” Shields from Flint, Michigan dreams of being the first woman in history to win the gold medal in Olympic boxing. To succeed, she will need to stand her ground both inside and outside of the ring.

The world of women’s sports was kicked upside down with the U.S. women’s soccer team’s thrilling penalty-kick shootout victory against China in the 1999 World Cup. Using candid footage shot by the players throughout the tournament, The 99ers presents a unique portrait of the team that irrevocably changed the face of women’s athletics.

The 8th tells the story of the Irish women and their fight to overturn one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the world. After a 35-year struggle the pro-choice side radically shift tactics to try to bring a historically conservative electorate over the line.

Leonard Bernstein’s protege, Marin Alsop, reveals how she smashed the glass ceiling to become an internationally renowned conductor, becoming the first woman to serve as music director of a multitude of renowned orchestras.

The Invisible War is a groundbreaking investigative documentary about one of America’s most shameful and best kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military.

Police arrested seven women who were part of a clandestine network. Using code names, blindfolds and safe houses, they built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions calling themselves JANE.

The Rescuers follows Stephanie Nyombayire, a young Rwandan anti-genocide activist who in the 1990s lost 100 members of her family in the Rwandan Genocide, as she teams with Sir Martin Gilbert, the renowned Holocaust historian.

Inspired by the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s, The Revival is a tour of queer women of color creating modern day spaces for art and resistance.

When 21-year-old Hend Nafea travels to Cairo to join the popular protests in Egypt, she is beaten, arrested, and tortured. Unbreakable and buoyed by her fellow activists, she sets out to search for freedom and justice in a country gripped by a dangerous power struggle.

To make ends meet, people in the U.S. are working longer hours across multiple jobs. This modern reality of non-stop work has resulted in an unexpected phenomenon: the flourishing of 24-hour daycare centers.

An artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of the legendary storyteller and Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison.

Told through the lens of Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionist leaders, Unapologetic is a deep look into the Movement for Black Lives, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts brings much-needed abortion and contraceptive services to those with no other options.

Madonna Thunder Hawk, unapologetic organizer of the American Indian Movement, has cultivated a ragtag gang of activist children into the We Will Remember survival group. The film highlights the struggle for native rights and how activists pass their legacies from generation to generation.

This film introduces the Radical Monarchs, an alternative to the Scout movement for girls of color, and its founders, two fierce queer women of color, who have inspired a new generation of social justice activists.

This nuanced portrait of Pauline Kael, among the most famous and divisive film critics of all time, uses never-before-seen archival film, wide-ranging interviews and her own writings voiced by Sarah Jessica Parker.

Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour follows iconic feminist electronic band Le Tigre on their 2004-2005 international tour across four continents and through ten countries.

In 1977, with just four months left, NASA struggles to recruit scientists, engineers and astronauts for their new Space Shuttle Program. That is when Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, challenges them by asking the question: Where are my people?.

Female comedian Bonnie McFarlane sets out along with fellow comedian and husband Rich Vos (and their adorable 3 year old) to find out once and for all if women are funny and report her unbiased findings in this important documentary film.

Women, War & Peace is a new five-part PBS television series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain. It spotlights the stories of women in conflict zones from Bosnia to Afghanistan, Colombia to Liberia, placing women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security.

Explore the remarkable life and legacy of the late feminist author Ursula K. Le Guin.