Are you fatigued with our media culture that leaves young women and girls with the sole aspiration of being attractive or a celebrity or a reality TV star? Well then brace yourself for a new documentary, The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things, which brings the stories of 17 powerful and divergent women leaders across the nation to the forefront of our dialogue around women, career, and leadership.
The film statistics:
- 5 Women Filmmakers
- 7,000 Miles
- 30 Days
- 17 Inspirational Women
The source of inspiration for the film was a magnificent epiphany by the director, Sarah Moshman. An Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker who grew up with a camera in her hand, she says the idea sort of hit her like a ton of bricks:
"When I first articulated the idea in 2012 of traveling across the US with an all-female film crew to interview inspirational 'ordinary' women doing extraordinary things, I was so excited at the possibility that I could actually start to see some of the film in my head. How do I get to that vision? Who is ever going to call me and offer this opportunity? I had a moment of realization that the phone was never going to ring with this documentary offer on the other end. If I wanted this badly enough for my career and for my passion to empower women, I would need to go after this dream a different way."
The muse had whispered in her ear and she had to heed the call -- if this project was going to happen she had to say yes to the dream and make it a reality, one step at a time. She called her friend and business partner Dana Michelle Cook, who was immediately on board with her vision. After raising over $28,000 via crowdfunding, they spent a few months in pre-production before venturing off on an amazing journey across the nation to interview 17 women from a variety of industries.
So what is the crux of the film? A gal can do whatever she aspires to: Mathematician, Pilot, Astronaut, Four Star Admiral in the US Navy (yes, really), Ballerina, Chef, Architect. You name it, you can do it! And it's not just lip service! The all-female filmmaking crew interviews real women in these and many other career roles who have done and are doing extraordinary things.
Sarah adds,
"Every time I hear a song on the radio that objectifies women, or I see a heavily photo-shopped, perfect image of woman's body gracing the pages of a magazine, or I go to the movies and the only female characters serve as eye candy, I feel so confident in the message of The Empowerment Project, which is to bust through all the noise and be a leader of your life, and not be afraid to fail."
No longer is the only role model for women and girls in the media merely a sex symbol or a member of the Kardashian clan. The production cast as well as the 17 women interviewed in the movie are living and breathing examples of women who boil down to a hell of a lot more than glorified body parts (no rotating pedestal here). These women have made their mark on the world, and now we can be inspired by their achievements, and give young women and girls powerful examples of what they can choose to do with their lives and careers.
The Empowerment Project's theme may be "Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things," but after watching the movie, you will know these women are truly anything but ordinary. However, it does beg the question, when ordinary women do truly amazing things - like venture out into the unknown to create an empowering movie for women - do they transform themselves from ordinary to extraordinary?
Don't just take my word for it, find out for yourself. You can bring The Empowerment Project to your city, town, school or anywhere else you would like to enlighten people. Simply click here to view the trailer and book a screening.