Breaking a centuries-old taboo, Ava stands as the first woman in Iran to master the male-dominated craft of carpentry. Within the grit and clamor of the workshop, she confronts a society that deems her presence forbidden. This observational documentary captures her daily battle against physical hardships and social judgment.
In the years following the Civil Rights movement and the passage of Title IX in 1972, Dr. Donnis Thompson (a headstrong African-American female coach), Patsy Mink (the first Asian-American U.S. congresswoman), and Beth McLachlin (the team captain of a rag-tag female volleyball team), battled discrimination from the halls of Washington D.C. to the dusty volleyball courts of the University of Hawaii, fighting for the rights of young women to play sports.
An insightful sit down chat with five of Malta's influential female trailblazers, some of whom are artists, all of whom are paving the way for change.
An unprecedented access to a number of Saudi women in the capital city of Riyadh as they embrace the freedom that comes from being behind the wheel.The Saudi Women’s Driving School is said to be the world's largest driving school, which caters exclusively to women since the ban on female drivers was lifted in 2017.
When filmmaker Gina Hara sets out to explore the hidden half of nerd culture, she struggles through unexpected resistance. Welcome to the world of cute dresses, professional gamers, fake names and death threats.
Women are being jailed, physically violated and at risk of dying as a radical movement tightens its grip across America.
Four women are on an existential journey in Morocco, connecting with local women from all walks of life bonding in sisterhood, and share their common quest for empowerment.
Outlawed in Pakistan tells the story of Kainat Soomro as she takes her rape case to Pakistan's deeply flawed court system in hopes of getting justice. The 13-year-old Kainat accuses four men of gang rape and shortly after is ordered to be killed by her village elders. Spanning over five years, the story is told through the perspective of Kainat and the four men accused of her rape.
A docu-drama shot in 1970, but not completed until 1973, the film sought to encapsulate in an experimental form issues that were under discussion within the Women’s Liberation Movement at this time and to thus contribute to action for change. In its numerous community screenings, active debate was encouraged as part of the viewing experience.
A film about a woman who doesn’t exist. Moroccan Hind was raped and consequently denied an official identity – she has no other choice but to work as a prostitute and traditional wedding dancer, but despite the odds of her situation, refuses to give up her dream of dignity, motherhood and love. This is a story of modern day outlaws, children of prostitutes, abandoned child brides and those who have had to escape to the fringes of patriarchal Moroccan society. Through the eyes of one young woman we see a life of constant struggle, but also a life free of the society’s norms and boundaries. The woman in the centre of the film, Hind, is both vulnerable and courageous as she tries to regain her life, her children and her mere right to live as an equal human being in the 21st century.
In the Arab world, women are fighting a two-front war against repressive internal constraints and intrusive Western interference. In this program, a feminist delegation composed of author Nawal Saadawi and other renowned activists from the Middle East and North Africa gathers at the UN, on college campuses, and in church basements to speak out about deterioration of women's rights in the Arab states in an effort to heighten awareness of the Arab feminist struggle for equality--and the effects of U.S. foreign policy on their efforts.
Filmmaker Anand Patwardhan looks to history and psychology as he delves into the possible reasons behind the demolition of the Babri Mosque.
Primavera das Mulheres
The inspirational story of teenage singing sensation Mutlu Kaya as she makes a remarkable journey from gunshot victim to fearless survivor. As she battles to heal her haunting voice, she campaigns for women's right in Turkey and beyond. Mutlu means 'happy' in Turkish.
In the suburbs of Montpellier, France, in the spring of 2024, a Roma wedding celebration is about to begin. In the bedroom of a small apartment, Luisa and her cousins meet up to talk about their dreams, their traditions, and their desire for emancipation. The ritual of flamenco dancing became for Luisa a space of freedom.
An exploration of the early public debate surrounding birth control, the media's involvement, and the unstoppable Margaret Sanger, in a style mimicking the films of the period.
Les enfants de Pétain
Quand les pouvoirs s'emmêlent
The year 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of one on the most important events in Western civilization: the birth of an idea that continues to shape the life of every American today. In 1517, power was in the hands of the few, thought was controlled by the chosen, and common people lived lives without hope. On October 31 of that year, a penniless monk named Martin Luther sparked the revolution that would change everything. He had no army. In fact, he preached nonviolence so powerfully that — 400 years later — Michael King would change his name to Martin Luther King to show solidarity with the original movement. This movement, the Protestant Reformation, changed Western culture at its core, sparking the drive toward individualism, freedom of religion, women's rights, separation of church and state, and even free public education. Without the Reformation, there would have been no pilgrims, no Puritans, and no America in the way we know it.
"Afghan Cycles" is a feature documentary about a generation of Afghan women who are pedaling their own revolution, aggressively challenging gender and cultural barriers using the bicycle as a vehicle for freedom, empowerment and social change.