Public Media's Women and Girls Lead Campaign Hits PBS Airwaves this Fall

A pipeline of more than 50 documentaries over three years begins in October 2011 with thousands of local events and high-profile gatherings nationwide planned through 2012.

ITVS announced the rollout of major national PBS broadcasts for its Women and Girls Lead campaign on Thursday. The three-year public media initiative will educate, focus, and connect viewers with more than 50 acclaimed documentaries and with nationwide community and educational events through leading partner organizations including Girl Scouts of the USA, CARE, and others.

Women and Girls Lead will launch its broadcasts on October 11, 2011 with Women, War & Peace on PBS. A five-part series executive produced by Abigail Disney, Pamela Hogan, and Gini Reticker. The documentary series examines how women have been disproportionately affected by modern conflict and their unique role in brokering peace.

Broadcasts in 2011 and 2012 will be accompanied by nearly 1,000 community screening events, in partnership with some of the world’s leading organizations supporting women and girls leadership development, health, education, and prosperity. Additionally, Women and Girls Lead will provide opportunities for direct action and deeper learning through its websites on pbs.org and itvs.org, and through social media including Facebook and Twitter. Women and Girls Lead is supported by an advisory board consisting of media, policy, and cultural luminaries including actors Geena Davis and America Ferrera, Queen Noor, fashion designer Eileen Fisher, PBS President Paula Kerger, and many others. 

The Broadcasts 

Women and Girls Lead programming begins in October with its first broadcast: Women, War & Peace, a five-part series from THIRTEEN/WNET. The series, featuring the U.S. broadcast premiere of the globally acclaimed documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, will re-frame our understanding of modern warfare and place women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security. Women, War, & Peace will be broadcast on PBS on five consecutive Tuesday evenings: October 11, 18, and 25 and November 1 and 8, (check local listings). Other programs premiering from the Women and Girls Lead catalog: We Still Live Here — Âs Nutayuneân (November 2011) chronicles the resurrection of the native Wampanoag language of southeastern Massachusetts, the first time a language with no native speakers has been revived in this country. Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock (February 2012), tells the story of a woman’s life and the public support of nine black students who registered to attend all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Unconventional, revolutionary, and egotistical, Daisy Bates reaped the rewards of instant fame, but paid dearly for it. Strong! (June 2012) features Cheryl Haworth, the 5’8" 300 pound champion American weightlifter. The film chronicles her journey and the challenges that this unusual elite athlete faces, exploring popular notions of power, strength, beauty, and health. For a complete list of the upcoming broadcasts visit: www.itvs.org/women-and-girls-lead

Events

 Alongside the PBS broadcast premieres, a nationwide launch of more than 500 events between now and June 2012 will convene communities, families, organizations, and educators to discuss, connect, and focus on the challenges and opportunities that face women and girls. 

Select events include: 

September 15, 2011, Washington, D.C. CPB, ITVS, and Meridian International Center will partner on a dinner program to raise awareness among key stakeholders, thought leaders, and policy makers about the role of women around the world, with a particular emphasis on women as agents of change in conflict settings. The event will feature a panel with Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney, CPB president and CEO Patricia S. Harrison, and Donald Steinberg from USAID. 

September 20, 2011, New York. Mashable, 92Y, and the UN Foundation present the second annual Social Good Summit. Academy Award winning actor and advocate Geena Davis, filmmaker and philanthropist Abigail Disney, PBS President Paula Kerger, and Asi Burak, co-president of Games for Change will bring the mission of Women and Girls Lead to participants. 

*** NOTE: BTB will be live blogging this event from NYC.

September 23, 2011, New York. First Global Symposium on Gender in Media hosted with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media will feature remarks from CPB president Pat Harrison, a keynote speech from Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis and panels featuring global filmmakers and children’s television executives. 

*** NOTE: BTB will be live blogging this event from NYC.

October 13, 2011, Southern California. The SoCal Living Peace Series will present an overview of Women and Girls Lead and its premier broadcast of Women, War, and Peace to an expected audience of over 1,000 featuring Abigail Disney, Academy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, and the women’s studies faculty of UC Irvine. 

Find more information on Women and Girls Lead

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