Women's History Month

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. "One of the year's best films. An urgent, illuminating dive into the headwaters of second-wave feminism." - Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice

Running Time: 93 mins
Year: 2014
Filmmaker: Mary Dore
Features: Chude Pamela Allen, Judith Arcana

Discussing the unique contributions of second wave feminism, they explore their racial, economic and ideological differences and shared vision of achieving equality for women. An essential component of women's studies curricula, MY FEMINISM introduces feminism's key themes while exposing the cultural fears underlying the lesbian baiting, backlash, and political extremism which informed feminist dialogues in the 90's, some of which continues to this day. Winner of Best Female Canadian Director at the Images Festival, Toronto.

Running Time: 56 mins
Year: 1997
Filmmakers: Dominique Cardona, Laurie Colbert
Features: Bell Hooks, Gloria Steinem, Urvsahi Vaid

The award-winning documentary film THE GIRLS IN THE BAND tells the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, history-making journeys from the late 30s to the present day. The many first-hand accounts of the challenges faced by these talented women provide a glimpse into decades of racism and sexism that have existed in America... In the thirties and forties, hundreds of women musicians toured the country in glamorous All-Girl Bands, while others played side by side with their male counterparts. Yet, by the mid-fifties, female jazz musicians had literally disappeared from the workplace, their names and their contributions to music completely forgotten. Today, there is a new breed of gifted young women taking their rightful place in the world of jazz, which can no longer deny their talents.

Running Time: 87 mins
Year: 2013
Filmmaker: Judy Chaikin
Features: Anat Cohen, Billie Rogers, Billy Taylor, Carline Ray, Clora Bryant, Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, Herbie Hancock, James Briggs Murray, Jane Ira Bloom, Marian McPartland, Patrice Rushen, Peggy Gilbert, Peter O'Brien, Roz Cron, Tammy L. Kernodle, Terri Lyne Carrington, Viola Smith

In this award-winning documentary, Cecilia Fire Thunder- the first female President of the Oglala Sioux tribe, defies a proposed South Dakota law criminalizing all abortion by threatening to build a women's clinic on the sovereign territory of the reservation. Her threats ignite a political firestorm that sets off a chain reaction in the lives of three young Lakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation, forcing each of them to make choices that define who they are and the kind of adults they are becoming.

Running Time: 84 mins
Year: 2013
Filmmakers: Marion Lipschutz, Rose Rosenblatt
Features: Brandon Ferguson, Cecilia Fire Thunder, Serena Clifford, Sunny Clifford

KUKAN, a landmark color film that revealed the atrocities of World War II China to audiences around the world, was the first ever American feature documentary to receive an Academy Award in 1942 and was considered lost for decades. When filmmaker Robin Lung discovers a badly damaged film print of KUKAN, she pieces together the inspirational tale of the two renegades behind the making of it -- Chinese American playwright Li Ling-Ai and cameraman Rey Scott.

Running Time: 76 mins
Year: 2016
Filmmakers: Robin Lung
Features: Daniel Dae Kim, Kelly Hu

A rare and poignant glimpse into pre-Stonewall LGBT life! Produced in 1967, this amazing 22-minute short introduces us to Misty, Vicky, Sonja and Simone--four courageous trans women who candidly discuss their personal lives with a somewhat lurid interviewer who claims to have interviewed "thousands of homosexuals" (and who obviously doesn't understand the difference between sexual orientation and gender identity)... Queens at Heart is a tremendously valuable archival portrait of pre-Stonewall trans women. Their candor and courage are a true gift and this is a must-see film for anyone interested in transgender history.

Running Time: 23 mins
Year: 1967
Filmmakers: Jenni Olson