women and society
40 movies and shows
Mona Lisa Smile
Fri, 19 Dec 2003
Katherine Watson is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students, including Betty and Joan, to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.
The Day Iceland Stood Still
Sat, 25 Jan 2025
When 90% of Iceland’s women walked off the job and out of their homes one morning in 1975, they brought their country to its knees and catapulted Iceland to the forefront of today's global fight for gender equality. Unexpectedly funny, laced with evocative animation and powerfully told by the women who lived it – this is the true story of 12 hours that launched a revolution.
Viva la Vulva
Sun, 24 Feb 2019
With a sense of humour, this documentary questions the condition of women from the angle of the image and perception of their body, and covers the new taboos and aesthetic diktats concerning their genitals in the era of the sexual revolution and contemporary feminism.
Les Scandaleuses
Fri, 20 Dec 2024
Béatrice Dalle, Lio, Brigitte Fontaine, Corinne Masiero, Aïssa Maïga, Virginie Despentes, Maria Schneider, Gisèle Halimi, Juliette Gréco, and Adèle Haenel—these women lived on their own terms, defying conventions and embracing lives often deemed "scandalous." Labeled frivolous, hysterical, or simply too free and too loud, they faced criticism yet used controversy as a force for change, challenging norms and advancing women's rights. This documentary retraces seventy years of their bold and unconventional journeys, telling the story of the fearless women who shaped history and fought for a more equal world.
Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power
Fri, 21 Oct 2022
Investigates the politics of cinematic shot design, and how this meta-level of filmmaking intersects with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse/assault and employment discrimination against women, with over 80 movie clips from 1896 - 2020.
Offside
Fri, 26 May 2006
During the 2006 World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain, numerous young women are caught and rounded up for dressing as men so they could gain access to the game. Guarded by several soldiers in a holding pen, the women attempt to keep updated on the score.
The Circle
Fri, 08 Sep 2000
Various women struggle to function in the oppressively sexist society of contemporary Iran.
Long Haulers
Mon, 30 Mar 2020
Through experimentation, direct observational filmmaking, and performative play, filmmaker Amy Reid rides and films with women truckers who have fled domestic violence, the stigmas of being formerly incarcerated, and mental health issues. The three subjects -- Sandi, Lori, and Tracy -- each share how they started trucking and what keeps them trucking.
Osama
Wed, 24 Mar 2004
After the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the restriction of women in public life, a preteen girl is forced to masquerade as a boy in order to find work to support her mother and grandmother.
Barefoot in the Kitchen
Fri, 14 Jun 2013
What was the role of women in Spanish cinema from the 1930s to the present explained through fragments of different films, both fiction and non-fiction. (Followed by “Manda huevos,” 2016.)
Ten
Mon, 20 May 2002
A visual social examination in the form of ten conversations between a driving woman and her various pick-ups and hitchhikers.
Writing with Fire
Sat, 30 Jan 2021
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women. Armed with smartphones, Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues and within the confines of their own homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.
Lee Miller: A Life on the Frontline
Sat, 02 May 2020
A documentary celebrating Lee Miller, a model-turned-photographer-turned-war reporter who defied anyone who tried to pin her down, put her on a pedestal, or pigeonhole her in any way.
They Fight: Our Breasts, Our Weapons
Tue, 05 Mar 2013
Born in Ukraine in 2008 in the wake of the "Orange Revolution," the feminist movement Femen fights for democracy, freedom of the press, women's rights, and against corruption, prostitution, sexism, racism, poverty, and religion. The activists quickly caught the attention of the media with their shocking protests. In 2012, at the creation of Femen France, Caroline Fourest followed their actions. They notably affirmed their support for "Marriage for All" by protesting on November 18, 2012, during the demonstration organized by the Civitas Institute against the bill, provoking sharp clashes.
Mélancolie ouvrière
Wed, 07 Feb 2018
Long live the strike! Lucie Baud, one of the pioneers of the women's movement, went with creativity, fighting spirit and the power of singing against the weapons of male-dominated capitalist society in nineteenth-century France. The film, based on true events, describes the ambitious fight of a silk moth. She stood up for the rights of the female working class to end maltreatment and oppression once and for all. For the revolution in women's rights, she even put her family back and fought to the end for their beliefs.
Virtuous Women
Fri, 10 Oct 2025
A VIP retreat for women seeking their best selves turns into an absurd and dangerous journey.
Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age
Fri, 09 Sep 2022
This documentary by Léa Clermont-Dion and Guylaine Maroist plunges us into the vortex of online misogyny and documents hatred towards women. This bleak opus, reminiscent of a psychological thriller, follows four women across two continents: former President of the Italian parliament Laura Boldrini, former Democratic representative Kiah Morris, French actor and YouTuber Marion Séclin, and Donna Zuckerberg, a specialist in online violence against women and the sister of Facebook’s founder. This tour de force reveals the devastating effects such unapologetic hatred has on victims, and brings to light the singular objective of cyber-misogyny: to silence women who shine. Some targets of cyber-violence will crumble under the crystallizing force of the click. Others, proud warriors, will stand tall and refuse to be silenced.
Writing Hawa
Thu, 11 Sep 2025
Afghan documentary maker Najiba Noori offers not only a loving and intimate portrait of her mother Hawa, but also shows in detail how the arduous improvement of the position of women is undone by geopolitical violence. The film follows the fortunes of Noori’s family, who belong to the Hazaras, an ethnic group that has suffered greatly from discrimination and persecution.
D'Emmanuelle à Emmanuelle
Tue, 24 Sep 2024
« Emmanuelle » was released 50 years ago. Its main character, played by the young Sylvia Kristel, delve freely into her sexuality, without taboo. This bold movie became one of the great success of french cinema in the 70s, and Emmanuelle became the face of sexual liberation. Through the gaze of a woman, the character is back on the screen in 2024. This new Emmanuelle, written by Audrey Diwan, go in quest of a lost pleasure.