Women's History Month

The struggle for Muslim women's emancipation is often portrayed stereotypically as a showdown between Western and Islamic values, but Arab feminism has existed for more than a century. This groundbreaking documentary recounts Arab feminism's largely unknown story, from its taboo-shattering birth in Egypt by feminist pioneers up through viral Internet campaigns by today's tech-savvy young activists during the Arab Spring. Moving from Tunisia to Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, filmmaker and author Feriel Ben Mahmoud tracks the progress of Arab women in their long march to assert their full rights and achieve empowerment.

This fascinating political look at a little-known chapter in women's history tells the story of "Jane," the Chicago-based women's health group who performed nearly 12,000 safe illegal abortions between 1969 and 1973 with no formal medical training. As Jane members describe finding feminism and clients describe finding Jane, archival footage and recreations mingle to depict how the repression of the early sixties and social movements of the late sixties influenced this unique group. Both vital knowledge and meditation on the process of empowerment, this documentary showcases the importance of preserving women's knowledge in the face of revisionist history. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.

A critically important look at second wave feminism in the 1990's, a time rife with anti-feminist backlash. Powerful interviews with feminist leaders including bell hooks, Gloria Steinem, and Urvsahi Vaid are intercut with documentary sequences to engagingly explore the past and present and future status of the women's movement. Discussing the unique contributions of second wave feminism, they explore their racial, economic and ideological differences and shared vision of achieving equality for women. Winner of Best Female Canadian Director at the Images Festival, Toronto.

This documentary by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes tells the little-known story of one of the most compelling political movements and friendships in American history. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were born into a world ruled entirely by men and for more than half a century led the fight to win the most basic civil rights for women.

Americans are well aware of the great and heroic achievements of United States Army nurses. In World War II and during the Korean War, the Army nurse went through great hardship in performance of her duty—the same dangers endured by the troops which she accompanied into combat. But relatively little has been reported of the Army nurse in peacetime. Yet, she still serves—not only in the States—but all over the world. From the U.S. Army's "The Big Picture" television series, 1950-1975, this gives some impression of the work of an Army nurse overseas.

Of all the battles waged on Nashville's doorstep, the final throes for the passage of the 19th Amendment were among the most heated, controversial and colorful. In July of 1920, all eyes were on the Tennessee capital as anti- and pro-suffragists each fought for their vision of a socially evolving United States. "Perfect 36: When Women Won the Vote" chronicles the dramatic vote to ratify this amendment, and the years of debate about women's suffrage that preceded it.

This exuberant celebration of African American women and their achievements features interviews with Angela Davis, June Jordan and Alice Walker. Within the context of the civil rights, Black power and feminist movements, the trio reassess how women such as Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer revolutionized American society.

A provocative, rousing and often humorous account of the birth of the modern women's liberation movement in the late 1960s through to its contemporary manifestations in the new millennium, direct from the women who lived it. Best Documentary winner at the Independent Film Festival Boston. Nominated for Best Documentary at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards.

This inspiring film follows the lives of eight Midwestern women, six of whom became founders of National Organization for Women (NOW). Set against a backdrop of decades of war, prosperity and reform, their stories beautifully illustrate the continuity and diversity of 20th-century feminism, as the participants describe the labor, civil rights, and political movements of the '40s and '50s that led them to take independent action for women. Using archival materials and primary-source narration, the film offers a first-rate, panoramic-yet-personal view of the women on feminism's front line. Winner of the Exceptional Merit Media Award from the National Women's Political Caucus and American Women in Radio and Television.

Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt interviews President John F. Kennedy at the White House on his hopes for the newly created President’s Commission on the Status of Women, of which Roosevelt had been appointed Chair. Roosevelt and Kennedy discuss women attaining higher public office and careers, among other issues. Roosevelt also leads a 40 minute panel discussion with Secretary of Labor Arthur Goldberg; Dr. Mirra Komarovsky, Sociologist at Barnard College, Agda Rossel, Representative to the United Nations for Sweden; and Thomas Mendenhall President of Smith College.