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15+ Documentaries About Women

There are lots of amazing documentaries about women that celebrate their achievements and struggles. Here are a few that come to mind: She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014), Hidden Figures (2016), RBG (2018), The Woman's List (2015), The Women's Balcony (2016), and Miss Representation (2011). Each of these documentaries offers a unique perspective on the lives of women and their impact on the world. Enjoy!

Documentaries About Women

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Because We Are Girls

A conservative Indo-Canadian family in small-town British Columbia must come to terms with a devastating secret: three sisters were sexually abused by an older relative beginning in their childhood years.

After remaining silent for nearly two and a half decades, the sisters finally decide to come forward-not only to protect other young relatives, but to set an example for their daughters as well.

The Woman's List

Part of documentary filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders's List series, The Women's List interviews 15 fabulous women who have shaped and influenced American culture. | Stream on PBS

The Queen of Versailles
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Jackie Siegel, David Siegel (Actors)

The Queen of Versailles

Jackie and David Siegel, a billionaire real estate couple, were triumphantly building the biggest house in America for themselves—a sprawling 90,000-square-foot palace inspired by Versailles—when their timeshare empire falters and the economic crisis hits.

Feminists: What Were They Thinking?

Filmmaker Johanna Demetrakas revisits photos from a 1977 book of photographs that captured women shedding cultural restrictions. | Stream on Netflix

RBG
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Clinton, Gloria Steinem (Actors)

RBG

A candid look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s exceptional life and career as a long-standing U.S. Supreme Court Justice, champion of women’s rights, and pop culture icon.

The Women's Balcony
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Orna Banai, Itzik Cohen, Einat Sarouf (Actors)

The Women's Balcony

An accident during a bar mitzvah celebration leads to a rift between the men and women in a devout community in Jerusalem in this rousing, good-hearted comedy.

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Awash with Jerusalem's distinctive glow, The Women's Balconydrama is a warm, poignant portrait of a modern community struggling to balance protocol with practical, progressive values – at once rebellious and respectful in spirit.

Miss Representation

Prominent women from the US, including Katie Couric and Gloria Steinem, discuss sexism in American society and the media. | Stream on Google Play

Hidden Figures
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Octavia Spencer (Actor)

Hidden Figures

An incredible & inspiring untold true story about three women at NASA who were instrumental in one of history’s greatest operations – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.

To continue learning, check out the Hidden Figures Movie Guide.

Knock Down The House

A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner's daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother in Nevada, and a registered nurse in Missouri build a movement of insurgent candidates to challenge powerful incumbents in Congress. One of their races will become the most shocking political upset in recent American history. | Stream on Netflix

In Our Mothers' Gardens

Filmmaker Shantrelle P. Lewis examines the complex and often humorous relationship between Black mothers and daughters throughout American history. Black women from across the globe unlock the stories of their mothers to redefine holistic lives rooted in radical self-care and healing in this documentary. | Stream on Netflix

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Woman
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Norma Bastidas, Gabriela Melgoza, Aleksandra Orbeck-Nilssen (Actors)

Woman

“Woman” gives a voice to 2000 women across 50 different countries. It deals with topics such as motherhood, education, marriage, or financial independence but also menstruation or sexuality.

The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Sarah Moshman, Dana Michelle Cook, Ashley Hammen (Actors)

The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things

Driving over 7,000 miles from Los Angeles to New York over the course of 30 days, five female filmmakers spotlight 17 positive and powerful female leaders across a variety of lifestyles and industries to inspire the next generation of strong women.

She's Beautiful When She's Angry
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Pamela Chude Allen, Judith Arcana, Nona Willis Aronowitz (Actors)

She's Beautiful When She's Angry

A provocative, rousing, and humorous account of the women’s lib movement, from the late 1960s to today, by the women who lived it and continue the fight for equality.
It's a Girl
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Rita Banerji, Reggie Littlejohn, Mitu Khurana (Actors)

It's a Girl: The Three Deadliest Words in the World

Every year in India and China, millions of babies are killed, abandoned, or selectively aborted, simply because they are girls. This devaluation of females has led to rampant violence against women and a growing female “gendercide.”

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HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé

This intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement. | Stream on Netflix

She Started It

Filmmakers Nora Poggi and Insiyah Saeed explore the cultural roots of female under-representation in entrepreneurship. | Stream on Apple TV

Becoming (2020 documentary film)

Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes and connection with others as she tours with “Becoming.” | Stream on Netflix

Period. End Of Sentence.

Women in a rural village outside Delhi, India fight the stigma surrounding menstruation when they learn to manufacture sanitary pads. | Stream on Netflix

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