A Message from Mary Louise Parker on International Women’s Day

The Independent Lens host invites you to celebrate International Women’s Day and ITVS’s public media campaign — Women and Girls Lead.

Show your support for the initiative (literally!) by adding the campaign’s banner to your Facebook profile for 24 hours in celebration of International Women’s Day. You can find the images on the Women and Girls Lead Facebook page.

Tags: International Women's Day, mary-louise parker, public media, women and girls lead

Women & Girls Lead Us Into Women’s History Month

Women and Girls Lead kicks off Women’s History Month with a new website, an online film festival, and three high-profile events honoring International Women’s Day.

The Women and Girls Lead public media initiative is celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day in style with a whole new set of activities to engage audiences on multiple platforms. Today, Women and Girls Lead unveiled their new dynamic campaign website. Featuring an interactive video mosaic, the website offers an array of short video content including profiles of women in leadership roles in communities nationwide, and interviews with luminaries and leading scholars.

“Women’s History Month is an important time for public media to call attention to the important work of women and girl leaders worldwide,” said Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB and Advisory Board Chair of Women and Girls Lead. “It is also a time for us to rise to the challenge to ensure that these stories reach audiences every day of the year. Women and Girls Lead offers an important model for public media to serve its mission in the 21st century.”
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Tags: Independent Lens, International Women's Day, ITVS, mosaic, women and girls lead, women and girls lead online film festival, women's history month

ITVS Staffers Respond to Pushing the Elephant

ITVS staffers offer their take on the upcoming Independent Lens documentary.

Tuesday marked the 100^th anniversary of International Women’s Day and to honor the occasion, BTB presented a live chat with PBS NewsHour on Women’s Empowerment. The documentary Pushing the Elephant (airing March 29 on Independent Lens) was featured prominently in the discussion, with the filmmakers and subject, Rose Mapendo, participating in the chat. This month, ITVS staffers will offer up their very personal responses to the documentary about one Congolese refugee’s attempt to find forgiveness and start a new life. Today’s post comes from our Senior Publicity Manager, Voleine Amilcar.
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Tags: congo, documentary, Haiti, Independent Lens, International Women's Day, PBS, Pushing the elephant

The Congo and Beyond: Live Chat on Empowering Women

On Tuesday, March 8 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT, PBS NewsHour will team up with ITVS and Independent Lens to present a panel discussion on violence against women in the Congo and beyond.

Set on the 100th anniversary of  International Women’s Day, the online discussion will use news reports and footage from the upcoming Independent Lens documentary Pushing the Elephant to shed light on the effects of war on women and families.
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Tags: amnesty international, Independent Lens, International Women's Day, live chat, pbs newshour, pushing the elphant, women's empowerment

ITVS Media Partnership for CARE’s “Half the Sky Live” National Screening

In honor of International Women’s Day, CARE –– a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty –– is presenting a one-night-only event on Thursday, March 4, at movie theaters nationwide called “Half the Sky Live.” ITVS is a proud media partner of this special presentation.

Inspired by the bestselling book from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the evening will feature musical performances, celebrity commentary, and uplifting stories about women and girls overcoming tremendous obstacles.

The event will be the world premiere of Woineshet, a short film by Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei and Lisa Leone. Appearances will include performers India.Arie, Diane Birch, Angelique Kidjo, and Michael Franti; actresses Maria Bello and Marisa Tomei; president/CEO of CARE Dr. Helene Gayle; New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof; United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women Rachel Mayanja; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; New York Times editor Sheryl WuDunn and others.

The goal of the event is to help women and girls around the world turn oppression into opportunity.

Learn more about this event and download a discussion guide >>

Watch the video below to learn more:

Tags: Human Rights, International Women's Day, New York Times, women