Happy International Women’s Day from Women and Girls Lead

Today is International Women’s Day! How do you plan to honor the more than 3 billion women and girls in the world in the next 24 hours? We like to celebrate with film, of course. No other medium can amplify women’s voices and capture their experiences quite like documentary film. Join us today at 11am PT / 2pm ET for a special International Women’s Day online screening of clips from Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

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Fans of the Half the Sky Movement will gather online today to talk about the ways that they are making a difference in the lives of women and girls everywhere. We’ll also share lots of new opportunities to get involved, such as a new Facebook game! Half the Sky Movement: The Game is a Facebook adventure that raises awareness and funds to empower women and girls across the globe. Inspired by the worldwide movement, the game was created by Pulitzer-Prize winning authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn and the PBS documentary film series. Players can embark on a journey to complete quests and unlock real-life donations from sponsors that reflect many important issues.

We’ll also talk more about the inspiring young female changemakers currently being considered for the Students Rebuild Award. The award, sponsored by the Besos Family Foundation, will give five $10,000 prizes to young women working for change in Half the Sky featured countries. Through the end of the day, anyone can view and vote for these remarkable award finalists, who hail from Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Somaliland, India, and Kenya. Award winners will be announced online during the week of March 18th.

Be sure to continue the celebration all month long by watching the ten powerful documentaries included in the #SheDocs Online Film Festival. Happy International Women’s Day from Women and Girls Lead!

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.

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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ITVS Staffers Respond to Pushing the Elephant

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

Tuesday marked the 100th 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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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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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: