Independent Lens
Camp Widow
At Camp Widow, every attendee, volunteer, speaker, and staff member has lost their partner; together they find camaraderie and unexpected joy.
Ratified
Ratified brings to life the push to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution through the legal battle in Virginia—the final state needed to ratify the amendment.
- Series
- Independent Lens
- Premiere Date
- October 20, 2025
- Length
- 90 minutes
Co-Director
Sabaah Folayan
Sabaah Folayan is an award-winning storyteller who uses written and visual media to bring a fresh perspective to urgent questions of our time. She made her directorial debut at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival with Whose Streets?, which chronicles the experiences of activists living in Ferguson, Missouri, when Michael Brown Jr. was killed.
Co-Director
Deborah R Draper
Deborah Riley Draper is an award-winning filmmaker known for her compelling storytelling and ability to amplify diverse voices and journeys. A 2025 Film Independent Episodic Directing Fellow, she also received a 2025 NAACP Image Awards nomination for Outstanding Directing - Documentary for the docu-series James Brown: Say It Loud.
Producer
Emily Best
Emily Best is a filmmaker and entrepreneur who founded Seed&Spark, the No. 1 crowdfunding platform for artists and storytellers in the world. She built a national education program in partnership with more than 700 arts and academic organizations. She has produced shorts, features, virtual reality, webseries, and comedy specials.
Producer
Megan Goedewaagen
Megan Goedewaagen is a producer and production executive who works across documentary, narrative, and live production. Her credits include Pride, the FX docuseries on the history of the LGBTQ movement, Dear Zoe, starring Sadie Sink, and The Academy Awards, where she works as talent relations producer for the Academy (AMPAS).
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The Film
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was introduced as a U.S. constitutional amendment in 1924, an era when women had few legal rights and were often considered subordinate to their husbands. It was not passed out of Congress. In spite of broad support and a massive campaign in the 1970s, legal equality for all genders has still not been officially added to the Constitution. Despite some strides, disparities remain in pay, healthcare, and legal protections. The ERA would embed protection from gender-based discrimination and enshrine bodily autonomy in the Constitution.
Ratified chronicles the campaign to make Virginia the 38th state to ratify the amendment, which is the number of states required to have an amendment added to the Constitution after Congressional approval. This political battle reveals racial and economic divisions, along with the ways women’s rights have been used as political leverage. Black women have often been overlooked in legal discussions since the creation of the Constitution, yet efforts led by Black women beginning in 2017 helped reignite momentum for the ERA’s passage after the fight stalled in the early 1980s. With the support of a multi-racial, multi-generational collective of activists, an intersectional movement for gender equality emerged.
The film follows organizing efforts as a cross-party coalition confronts entrenched political power. Virginia Senator Jennifer McClellan and Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy push through legislative barriers, along with a grassroots team led by Republican-turned-organizer Kati Hornung. Their efforts mark the continuum of a 101-year fight. Ratified is a look at the perseverance of organizers and the legal system's resistance to fully guaranteeing gender equality.
