KQED is proud to celebrate Women’s History Month starting in March with a special TV programming lineup. Premiere dates are listed below.

KQED 9

Sun, 3/3
11:30pm Penny: Champion of the Marginalized
Penny is a multi-dimensional portrait of Penny Cooper, a celebrated criminal defense attorney, art collector, supporter of female artists, and protector of the underdog. She offers a unique perspective on important social narratives such as criminal justice, today’s global contemporary art market, gender equality, and more. Through it all, she found herself at the center of dramatic social progress for women thanks to her unwavering resilience and infamous humility.

Mon, 3/11
9pm Mae West: American Masters
Dive into the life and career of groundbreaking writer, performer and subversive star Mae West. Over a career spanning eight decades, she broke boundaries and possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s.

10:30pm All We’ve Got (NEW)
More than 100 bars, bookstores, art and community spaces where LGBTQ+ women gather have closed in the past decade. Join us as we travel the country to find out why these spaces matter and how some are managing to survive despite the odds.

11:30pm Marguerite: from the Bauhaus to Pond Farm (NEW)
Marguerite tells the story of one of America’s most talented mid-century ceramicists. Marguerite Wildenhain became the first woman to receive “Master Potter” designation in pre-WWII Europe. During the war, Marguerite fled to America and helped create an experimental artists colony in Northern California and later established Pond Farm Pottery that was among the most influential pottery schools in the U.S.

Tues, 3/12
9pm Her Name Was Grace Kelly
Considered one of the most beautiful actresses of her time, Grace Kelly remains an icon today. Her life and career are well documented, from her work in Hollywood and her marriage to Prince Rainier, to her tragic death in a car accident in 1982. Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier themselves reveal a mother who is quite different from her official image – free and vibrant, surrounded by her children and family. 

11:30pm Finding Fate (NEW)
Three powerful mothers in Poland share in their quest to be strong for their families and help others struggling under the shadow of the war in Ukraine. A Ukrainian refugee, a Polish mother, and a Jewish-Polish mother. When we find common ground, we can unite to help build a shared future.

Mon, 3/18
11:30pm Native Ball: Legacy of a Trailblazer
A Native American girl from an isolated Blackfeet reservation uses her basketball skills as a ticket to a college education and the opportunity to give back to her people. Her chief described her as “a warrior.”

Sat, 3/23
10pm American Experience: Sandra Day O’Connor: The First
When Sandra Day O’Connor was nominated as the Supreme Court’s first female justice in 1981, the announcement dominated the news. During her 25 years on the court, O’Connor was the critical swing vote on cases involving some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues, including abortion and affirmative action. This biography recounts the life of a pioneering woman who shaped an era.

Mon, 3/26
9pm American Experience: The Cancer Detectives (NEW)
In the 1950’s, survival rates from cancer of any kind were low with damaging surgery and unsophisticated radiotherapy as the main treatments. This story of the fight against cervical cancer revolves around three main characters: Dr. Papanicolaou, whose development of a diagnostic test saved many; Hashime Murayama, the talented artist who worked on the project; and Helen Dickens, a groundbreaking Black female surgeon, who saved the lives of thousands of women. 

Fri, 3/29
8pm Facing the Laughter: Minnie Pearl (NEW)
Small-town girl Sarah Cannon dreamed of becoming a Shakespearean actress; instead, she became famous as the class-act comedian Minnie Pearl. This simple character became an icon of country music through radio, live stage performances, and television. The educated, serious Cannon and her playful, uncomplicated alter ego created a legacy of compassion, empowerment and humor. 

9:30pm Perfect 36: When Women Won The Vote
Perfect 36 chronicles the vote to ratify the 19th Amendment, and the years of debate leading up to it. On July 17, 1920, Tennessee became the deciding state needed for ratification. A few days dragged into weeks where pro- and anti-suffragists continued to clash. After two consecutive 48-48 outcomes to table the resolution, Harry Burn made Tennessee the deciding 36th state to enable passage of the 19th Amendment.

KQED PLUS

Fri, 3/1
2pm Margaret: The Rebel Princess #101
Learn how Princess Margaret’s life and loves reflected the social and sexual revolution that transformed the western world during the 20th century, and redefined society’s image of the modern princess.

Sun, 3/3
11:30pm Full Circle (NEW)
Full Circle reveals how tattoos have changed the lives of three very different women by turning the hideous scars of their disappointing reconstructive work into unique works of art. After the trauma of breast cancer and surgery, tattoos give women the confidence to see themselves as beautiful and feminine once again.

Thurs, 3/7
2pm Black Ballerina
Black Ballerina is a story of passion, opportunity, heartbreak and triumph of the human spirit which tells the stories of black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. Sixty years ago, Joan Myers Brown, Delores Browne and Raven Wilkinson pursued careers in ballet in the face of racism in segregated mid-century America. In 2015, three young black women face similar obstacles. This documentary uses the ethereal world of ballet to engage viewers to think about larger issues of exclusion and equal opportunity. 

Fri, 3/8
2pm Margaret: The Rebel Princess #102
Peek in on Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones at the start of their married life. They’re happy to ride the wave of a cultural and sexual revolution that’s transforming Britain, but a more open society may spell trouble for the monarchy.

Thurs, 3/14
8pm Story of the D-Day Forecast: Three Days In June
In June 1944, the success of the D-Day invasion was reliant on weather readings taken by a young woman on Ireland’s west coast. The Story of the D-Day Forecast includes a special interview with Maureen Sweeney – providing a living link to this historical moment, where military might and meteorological analysis collided. Sweeney’s data disrupted General Eisenhower’s invasion plans by revealing an impending storm, leading to a postponement of the operation and one of the most pivotal events in world history. 

Sun, 3/17
3pm Composer: Amy Beach (NEW)
Amy Cheney Beach, a child prodigy, became one of the most respected and accomplished American musical composers of her time.  Beach toured the United States and Europe as a concert pianist, and co-founded and led the Society for American Women Composers. A pioneering composer, pianist and teacher, Beach was a national symbol of women’s creative power and helped redefine the role of women in music. 

6pm Women Outward Bound
Women Outward Bound profiles the first group of young women to participate in an Outward Bound survival school course in 1965, and chronicles their experiences in the wild. During their experience, the young women forged a special bond and reminisced about the lessons they learned and the memories they made at a reunion 47 years later. This film proves that girls could always handle the difficult challenges given by nature-they just needed to be given the chance.

8pm Vote: American Experience Part 1
Learn about the first generation of leaders in the decades-long battle to win the vote for women. In the 19th century, a time when women had few legal rights, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton galvanized thousands to demand equal citizenship.

9pm Vote: American Experience Part 2
Explore the strategies used by a new generation of leaders determined to win the vote for women. Internal debates over radical tactics and the place of African American women in the movement shaped the battle in the crucial period from 1906-1915.

10pm Vote: American Experience Part 3
Discover how the pervasive racism of the time, particularly in the South, impacted women’s fight for the vote during the final years of the campaign. Stung by a series of defeats in 1915, the suffragists concentrated on passing a federal amendment.

11pm Vote: American Experience Part 4
Meet the unsung women whose tireless work would finally ban discrimination at U.S. polls on the basis of sex. Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt advocated different strategies, but their combined efforts led to the amendment’s passage in 1920.

Mon, 3/18
2pm In Their Own Words: Queen Elizabeth II
Follow Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable life, from her youth to her uncle’s abdication, her father’s coronation as King George VI, her experience during World War II, her sudden ascension to the throne and her eventful reign of more than 60 years.

Wed, 3/20
6pm Renaissance Woman Restored
Renaissance Woman Restored documents the restoration of a magnificent mural created by a 16th-century nun who is considered the first great woman artist of the Renaissance. As the documentary follows the mural restoration by a team of female art conservationists, experts speak to the scope of the art Plautilla Nelli created, the significance of her work, and the importance of highlighting women artists.

Thurs, 3/21
8pm Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen #101
Lucy Worsley explores Agatha Christie’s haunted, unconventional early life to discover the origins of her talent for murder – and uncovers some carefully concealed secrets.

9pm Queen: Anthology – A Life On Film
Queen is a unique collection of visual stories chronicling the life of Queen Elizabeth II. From her birth and her days as a young queen in waiting, to her Coronation, major life events and milestones, viewers will be mesmerized by this unique documentary.

10pm Victoria And Albert: The Wedding #101
Join the experts preparing to reconstruct the wedding that changed history. As they get ready for the ceremony and investigate the stories behind the dress, food and music, they uncover astonishing details, and their challenge comes into focus.

11pm Jane Addams – Together We Rise: American Stories (NEW)
Jane Addams became intrigued by social reform after visiting a settlement house in London’s impoverished East End. An inheritance made it possible for her to bring that concept to Chicago with the creation of Hull House in 1889. Jane Addams – Together We Rise profiles this Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist and the cadre of persistent women who joined her to enrich the lives of thousands of immigrant women and children, inspiring others around the world.

Sat, 3/23
11:02pm Beyond The Powder: The Legacy of the First Women’s Cross-Country Air Race
Beyond The Powder follows the female pilots of the 2014 Air Race Classic racers that tells the story of the first women’s cross-country air race of 1929, also known as the Powder Puff Derby. The country watched as these brave women made history flying cross-country, breaking into a competition that was considered for men only. 

Sun, 3/24
12pm Great Performances at the Met: The Hours
Enjoy Renee Fleming’s return to the Met in this new production inspired by Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway.” Also starring Tony winner Kelli O’Hara and Joyce DiDonato, the opera follows three women from different eras. 

4:30pm Kaavya (NEW)
Kaavya, a 10 year-old girl in Texas, prepares for the most important dance of her life: her arangetram. This 2-hour solo dance debut showcases a mastery in the oldest form of Indian classical dance, originating over 2,000 years ago.

5pm Bella (NEW)
Bella is a film about the life, work, influences and impact of California-based choreographer Bella Lewitzky. Throughout her 70-year career, Lewitzky pursued artistic freedom and spoke out about government and institutional restrictions in the arts.

6:30pm Orchard House: Home of Little Women
The Home of Little Women transports viewers to a 350-year-old home in Concord, Massachusetts with literary and historical significance unlike any other. With a nurturing, talented family as owners, Orchard House inspired Louisa May Alcott to write Little Women. This enduring and lively house reveals the powerful historical, literary, and very human elements of the home and the people who lived there. 

9:30pm American Masters: Roberta Flack
Follow the music icon from a piano lounge through her rise to stardom. From “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” to “Killing Me Softly,” Flack’s virtuosity was inseparable from her commitment to civil rights. Detailing her story in her own words, the film features exclusive access to Flack’s archives and interviews with Rev. Jesse Jackson, Peabo Bryson and more.

11pm Bonnie Boswell Presents: Saving Moms (NEW)    
Reporter Bonnie Boswell’s latest conversations examines why groups of women disproportionately experience higher mortality rates related to pregnancy and childbirth in the country. Boswell addresses disparities that result in poor health outcomes as well as ways local public health professionals are combatting the national crisis.

Thurs, 3/28
8pm Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen #102
Agatha Christie’s shocking disappearance in 1926 gripped the nation. Lucy Worsley unravels the mystery and reveals the profound influence this episode had on her writing.

9pm Queen and Her Prime Ministers
Using archive footage and personal accounts, this film shows how the Queen had accompanied her prime ministers through their time in office. Much had changed in Britain during her reign, but there was one constant – governments came and went, but the Queen remained.

10pm Victoria And Albert: The Wedding #102
Witness the most accurate reconstruction of Victoria and Albert’s wedding ever staged, followed by a sumptuous wedding breakfast, a prelude to the first night that began a marriage so iconic, it heralded constitutional monarchy as we know it today.

11pm Her War, Her Story: World War II
This special captures the experiences of over two dozen women during the war, spanning members of the U.S. Women’s Army Corps and civilian witnesses in Europe showing how women equaled men in patriotism, service, and steadfastness in critical moments.

Fri, 3/29
11pm ACL 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Trisha Yearwood (NEW)
The ninth annual Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction honors singer Trisha Yearwood.

Sun, 3/31
5pm Great Performances: Ann
Enjoy a powerful and revealing look at legendary, larger-than-life Texas governor Ann Richards, who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family, in this critically acclaimed play written by and starring Emmy winner Holland Taylor.

9:30pm Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella (NEW)
Without Precedent explores the life and legacy of the legal icon Rosalie Abella. The child of Holocaust survivors, Justice Abella was born in 1946 in a displaced persons camp. Her family came to Canada in 1950 as refugees. The perspective gained from her personal history shaped her legal career. In public speeches, she often intertwines her personal story with a discussion of human rights, morality, and constitutional law.

KQED WORLD

Sat, 3/2
6am American Experience: Fly with Me
Fly With Me is a story about new frontiers for working women and the constraints of traditional notions of femininity. Maligned as feminist sellouts and sluts, stewardesses, as they were called, knew different: they were on the frontlines of a battle to assert gender equality and transform the workplace. Fly With Me tells a lively, fun, and important but neglected history of the women who, while flying the world, changed it.

10am POV: Unapologetic
Meet Janae and Bella, two fierce abolitionists whose upbringing and experiences shape their activism and views on Black liberation. Told through their lens, “Unapologetic” offers an inside look into the movement and ongoing work that transformed Chicago, from the police murder of Rekia Boyd to the election of mayor Lori Lightfoot.

5pm American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands
Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America. Watch rare archival footage and hear audio recordings exploring her life and career from the Metropolitan Opera to the State Department.

Sun, 3/3     
6pm Pacific Heartbeat: Daughters of the Waves
Although only 20, Vahine Fierro is undaunted by the Teahupoo wave, considered the most dangerous in the world. In Tahitian culture, riding the waves is an ancestral activity from which women had been gradually eliminated, but now surfing is open to women, just in time for the Olympics. Coming from an entire family of surfers, Vahine and her two sisters hope to make a living with their passion and travel the world.

7pm Groundbreakers
Groundbreakers features sports icons from different generations in powerful interviews, sharing stories of perseverance, pain, and progress in their remarkable careers. Athletes include Naomi Osaka, Chloe Kim, Suni Lee, and Billie Jean King. The series celebrates women’s advancements in sports and society and reveals the generational mentorship and community building that has driven the ongoing pursuit of equality.

Mon, 3/4
11am POV: Advocate
Meet Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel, a political firebrand who is known by her opponents as “the devil’s advocate” for her decades-long defense of Palestinians who have been accused of resisting the occupation, both violently and non-violently.

12:30pm POV: American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs was a Chinese American philosopher, writer, and activist in Detroit with a thick FBI file and a surprising vision of what an American revolution can be. Rooted in 75 years of the labor, civil rights, and Black Power movements, she challenges a new generation to think creatively and redefine revolution for our times.

4pm AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange: Professional Black Girl
Covering topics like hair care, personal fashion, and style, Professional Black Girl (PBG) features a selection of episodes from the popular web series. Every story is like a conversation with a woman you know. Each PBG shares her Black girl cultural experience, sharing personal stories and reflection. Entertaining yet engaging, the series reminds us that ‘Black Girl Magic’ isn’t just reserved for those with unprecedented achievement, but that it applies to all of us.

5pm Girl Talk: A Local, USA Special
Set in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of high school debate, where tomorrow’s leaders are groomed, see the compelling and timely story of five girls on a top-ranked Massachusetts high school debate team as they strive to become the best debaters in the US.

6:30pm Stories from the Stage: Extraordinary Women (NEW)
Surviving as a woman requires bravery and creativity. Women must often contend with public opinion, unrealistic beauty standards, and unjust laws. Hear storytellers share multigenerational stories of extraordinary women who survived — and thrived. 

Tue, 3/5      
11am POV: We Are the Radical Monarchs
Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color on the frontlines of social justice. Follow the group as they earn badges for completing units on such subjects as LGBTQ allyship, preserving the environment, and disability justice.

5pm American Experience: Rachel Carson
Meet the scientist whose groundbreaking writings revolutionized our relationship to the natural world. Mary-Louise Parker is the voice of Rachel Carson in this moving and intimate portrait.

Wed, 3/6    
11am Independent Lens: Coded Bias
When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers most facial recognition does not see dark-skinned faces or women with accuracy, she joins the fight to expose the threats to civil liberties posed by an increasingly data-driven, automated world.

12:30pm POV: La Casa de Mama Icha
Decades ago, Mama Icha moved to the United States to help her daughter, but she never lost sight of her hometown of Mompox, spending years sending money to build her dream house there. Now, at the end of her life, Mama Icha returns to Colombia.

4pm POV: Eat Your Catfish
Paralyzed by late-stage ALS, Kathryn clings to a mordant wit as she yearns to witness her daughter’s wedding. Shot from her fixed point of view, watch a family grappling with the daily demands of disability and in-home caretaking.

5:30pm American Masters: Becoming Helen Keller
Revisit Helen Keller’s rich career and explore how she perpetually put her celebrity to use to advocate for human rights in the pursuit of social justice for all, particularly women, the poor, and people with disabilities.

Thu, 3/7      
11am Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets: Elizabeth: The Warrior Queen
Join Lucy Worsley for an exploration of how Elizabeth I’s image as a warrior queen, created by a series of myths and secrets about her victory over the Spanish Armada, shaped British national identity for centuries.

12pm Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets: Queen Anne: The Mother of Great Britain
Investigate why Queen Anne’s powerful role in the forging of Great Britain has often been forgotten. Lucy Worsley shares the inside story of the salacious gossip about Anne’s love life that helped destroy her image and legacy.

1pm Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets: Marie Antoinette: The Doomed Queen
Find out why Marie Antoinette is often blamed for causing the French Revolution by saying “let them eat cake” to her starving subjects. Lucy Worsley uncovers the myths and secrets that led the doomed queen to the guillotine.

4pm Anahita: A Mother’s Journey
Anahita details the harrowing escape of an Afghan refugee, a former Kabul police officer, and her five children from the Taliban in August 2021. The film follows Anahita and her children as they settle into a new home with the help of a sponsor, Amy, and cope with the challenges of living in a new country without familiar support systems or knowledge of the language. 

Fri, 3/8
4pm Becoming Frida Kahlo: The Making and Breaking
When an accident changes Frida’s life, she channels pain and heartache into a new passion: painting. She meets Diego Rivera, and her creative and romantic dreams begin to take shape.

5pm Becoming Frida Kahlo: Love and Loss
Now married and living in Depression-era USA, Frida sees the ugly side of capitalism, while political scandal engulfs Diego. Miscarriage and bereavement propel Frida to her greatest work yet.

6pm Becoming Frida Kahlo: A Star Is Born
Dangerous politics and turbulent love shock Frida’s world, while love and trauma shape her final years. Diego and she divorce, then remarry. As her body fails her, her painting thrives.

Sat, 3/9      
5pm American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free
Explore the lives and trailblazing careers of iconic African American entertainers Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, and Pam Grier, who changed American culture through their films, fashion, music, and politics.

Sun, 3/10
6pm Fanny: The Right to Rock
In the 1960s in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina American sisters formed a garage band that evolved into the legendary rock group Fanny, the first all-women band to release an LP with a major label. Despite critical acclaim, tours with major bands, and a fan base including David Bowie, Fanny’s groundbreaking impact in music was overlooked until a 50-year reunion with a new record deal. Fighting early barriers of race, gender, and sexuality and now ageism, the incredible women of Fanny are ready to claim their place in rock ‘n’ roll fame.

Mon, 3/11               
11am Bring Her Home
Bring Her Home follows three Indigenous women – an artist, an activist and a politician – as they work to vindicate and honor their relatives who are victims in the growing epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. As they face the historical trauma, each woman searches for healing while navigating the oppressive systems that brought about this very crisis.

4pm Aldwyth: Fully Assembled
Aldwyth is a South Carolina artist who defies categorization. She is a painter, a sculptor, a box constructionist, and an intricate collagist. Like her artwork, the trajectory of Aldwyth’s artistic life has been anything but simple. Follow her remarkable creative journey, her challenges and obstacles, and the story of her inspiring “second act.”

5pm Schille
The film weaves together the narrative of Alice Schille’s life told through archival photos, journal entries, and her paintings- with the story of the Keny Family’s multi generation connection to the artist. Jim Keny and his twin brother Tim run Keny Galleries in the historical German Village neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.

6pm Cara Romero: Following the Light
Contemporary fine art photographer Cara Romero’s work captures Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultural memory, collective history, and lived experiences from a Native American female perspective.

Tue, 3/12    
11am American Masters: Flannery
Explore the life of Flannery O’Connor whose provocative fiction was unlike anything published before. The film features never-before-seen archival footage, newly discovered journals, and interviews with Mary Karr, Tommy Lee Jones, Hilton Als and more.

12:30pm American Masters: Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page
Follow the journey of the award-winning author of the best-selling “Little House” series in this exploration of her life and legacy and her little-known, secret collaboration with her daughter on the books that shaped American ideas of the frontier.

5pm NOVA: Picture a Scientist
Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of color, but a growing group of researchers is exposing long standing discrimination and is working to make science more inclusive.

Wed, 3/13  
11am Dear Homeland
Dear Homeland follows Mexican artist Diana Gameros’ immigration journey from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to San Francisco. As she grows through her music into an advocate for immigrant rights, Diana finds the courage to share her own story of being undocumented. Dear Homeland is a deep reflection on family, resilience, the power of music and the meaning of home.

12pm Pacific Heartbeat: Power Meri
“Power Meri” follows Papua New Guinea’s first national women’s rugby league team, the PNG Orchids, on their journey to the 2017 World Cup in Australia. These trailblazers face intense sexism, a lack of funding, and national prejudice. After years playing at grassroots level with no funding or support, they have just three months to transform themselves into a competitive national team to compete on the world stage.

4pm Birthing Justice
Birthing Justice places Black women at the center of the fight to fix a broken system as they transform the future for all women in this country. The film focuses on Missouri, Georgia, California, and the District of Columbia and elevates the lived experiences of Black women including Olympic champion, Allyson Felix and Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, founder of the National Black Equity Collaborative. 

5:30pm POV: Midwives
Meet two women running a makeshift clinic in western Myanmar torn apart by ethnic violence. The Buddhist owner helps her apprentice, part of a Muslim minority group denied their basic rights, become a steady health care provider for her people.

Thu, 3/14
11am Secrets of the Dead: Lady Sapiens
Incredible scientific investigations from across the globe are helping piece together the untold story of prehistoric women. The latest research separates fact from fiction and sheds new light on our ancient foremothers.

12pm Breaking Through the Clouds: The First Women’s International Air Derby
In August of 1929, twenty women pulled on britches, snapped on goggles and climbed into their cockpits to race across the country. It was the first women’s national air derby. Together these women were flying in the face of anyone who believed women belonged on the ground. 

1:30pm Anne Morrow Lindbergh: You’ll Have the Sky
This film brings one of the 20th century’s best-loved writers out from the shadow of her often controversial husband, the pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh. The film uses Anne’s own words to help convey her inner life, which was deeply affected by the challenges of being part of America’s most famous couple.

4pm Ida B. Wells: American Stories
There are few historical figures whose life and work speak to the current moment more than Ida B. Wells, the 19th-century crusading investigative journalist, civil rights leader, and passionate suffragist. In the wake of her recent posthumous Pulitzer Prize citation, Chicago street naming, and the release of a revealing new biography by her great-granddaughter Michelle Duster, this documentary tells her story as never before.

Fri, 3/15
5:30pm American Masters: Twyla Moves
Explore legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp’s career and famously rigorous creative process, with original interviews, first-hand glimpses of her at work, and rare archival footage of select performances from her more than 160 choreographed works.

Sat, 3/16    
4pm AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange: Queen Kidjo
Experience a guided tour of the life and indomitable spirit of international music icon and activist Angelique Kidjo. This film features archival footage of the globally recognized artist appearing with superstars Miriam Makeba, Celia Cruz, and Peter Gabriel; as well as cameo appearances by contemporary music stars including Alicia Keys and Yemi Alade.

6:30pm POV Shorts: This Sacred Place
New worlds unfold in stories of tradition and hometown pride. “You Can’t Stop Spirit” centers on the Baby Doll Mardi Gras masking tradition: a group of self-liberated Black women who created an alternative social space where they are encouraged to be free. “Coming Home” shows a collective of Palestinian-American dancers living in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn who use traditional Dabka as a way to connect to their community and homeland.

Sun, 3/17
8:30pm Odessa’s Reign
Odessa Madre, nicknamed Queen of the Underworld, was a key figure in a lucrative gambling ring in Washington, D.C. in the 1950s. Leading the paper chase gave her prestige within the mob, power in her neighborhood, and control over the men charged with enforcing the law – all while being an African American woman in a segregated city.

Mon, 3/18
11am Independent Lens: Writing with Fire
Meet the women journalists of India’s only all-female news network, who risk everything in a male-dominated world to uncover their country’s political inequities.

12:30pm Kea’s Ark
In the 1980s, a three-story ark was built in Newark’s devastated Central Ward. Self-taught artist and engineer Kea Tawana designed and constructed the massive boat by herself. She used salvaged materials from nearby 19th-century buildings being torn down, in an area fast becoming an urban wasteland. 

4pm Red State, Blue Governor
A documentary featuring former Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius, this is a story of a woman in a male-dominated political field and a Democrat in a Republican state, finding the right balance to bring two differing parties together to get things done.

Tue, 3/19    
11am Her Voice Carries
Her Voice Carries shares the stories of five quietly heroic women, told through their own words and the street art of mural artist Sarah Rutherford. The film chronicles Sarah’s unique creative idea: to identify extraordinary women in Rochester, New York, and create large-scale murals representing their experiences. These women  are using their voices to address social issues, including sexual harassment and domestic violence, gender identity, race relations, and immigration.

12pm Roadtrip Nation: A Single Mom’s Story
“A Single Mom’s Story” follows three determined single mothers overcoming challenges to pursue success. They meet Amy Yeung, the founder of Orenda Tribe, a clothing line that helps Native American designers; Elisa Peterson, a visual artist who co-hosts the Cool Moms podcast; and Felicia Rice, a microbiologist at the Mayo Clinic.

6pm Below the Belt: The Last Health Taboo
Through the lens of endometriosis, examine the widespread problems in our healthcare systems that disproportionately affect women. This film reveals how millions are silenced and how, by fighting back, they can improve healthcare for all women.

Wed, 3/20
11am POV: Through the Night
Explore the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories of two working mothers and a childcare provider, whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center in New Rochelle, New York.

12:30pm Reel South: Madame Pipi
Madame Pipi follows the lives of Haitian bathroom attendants working in Miami’s hottest nightclubs. Often invisible, underpaid, and underappreciated, their stories showcase a custodial world built on the backs of women of color, in a city known for debauchery, diversity, and exceptionalism.

Thu, 3/21
11am Forgotten Fame: The Marion Miley Story
Although professional athletics were deemed improper for women in the 1930s, trailblazing golfer Marion Miley’s exceptional talent captivated sports fans across the country. But at age 27, Marion was tragically murdered in her home at the Lexington Country Club in Kentucky. Watch the story of the headline-grabbing crime that cut short the life of this pioneering athlete.

12pm Awakening in Taos: The Mabel Dodge Luhan Story
Mabel Dodge was an independently wealthy writer, early feminist, social activist, and champion for women and native American rights. In 1917, she moved from Greenwich Village to Taos, New Mexico where she met and eventually married Tony Lujan, a full blooded Tiwa Indian from Taos Pueblo. She was responsible for bringing major modern artists to New Mexico including Georgia O’Keeffe, Ansel Adams, and D.H. Lawrence.

4pm Kasturba Gandhi: Accidental Activist
Kasturba Gandhi lived her life in the shadow of her iconic husband, but now her story is finally being told. Activist Mahatma Gandhi credited Kasturba with teaching him about the peaceful path to change prior to him leading the campaign against British occupation. The documentary chronicles how Kasturba became one of the first women activists in modern history.

5pm Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America Reframed Special
Explore and celebrate the life of a fearless Mississippi sharecropper turned human-rights activist and the injustices in America that made her work essential.

Sat, 3/23
4pm American Experience: The Sun Queen
For nearly 50 years, inventor Maria Telkes applied her prodigious intellect to harnessing the power of the sun. She designed the world’s first solar-heated modern residence and discovered a new chemical that could store solar heat like a battery. Despite facing resistance, Telkes persevered and, upon her death in 1995, held more than 20 patents. Her research and innovations from the 1930s through the ’70s continue to shape how we power our lives today.

5pm American Masters: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Discover how Moreno defied her humble upbringing and racism to become one of a select group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winners. Explore her 70-year career with new interviews, clips of her iconic roles and scenes of the star on set today.

Sun, 3/24
6pm Ruth Stone’s Vast Library of the Female Mind
This is an award-winning documentary about the poetry and life of Ruth Stone, who forged her art out of loss and inspired countless others to create. Using an intimate approach, the film combines archival footage of Ruth at different times of her life, capturing her reciting poetry and talking about her writing process. The film also intertwines lively and heartfelt observations from her family.

Mon, 3/25
11am Poet of the Piano: Fuzjko Hemming–Journey to Chopin’s Mallorca
Fuzjko Hemming is a former child piano prodigy whose life took a winding path to success. Fuzjko still takes to the world’s stages as a “pianist of the soul.” But her life has not been without obstacles, such as severe hearing loss and a period following the war when she had no citizenship status. Follow Fuzjko as she traces Chopin’s precious time on the Spanish island.

1pm Pacific Heartbeat: Ola Hou–Journey to New York Fashion Week
When Native Hawaiian fashion designer Sharayah Chun-Lai receives an invitation to showcase her brand, Ola Hou Designs, at the New York Fashion Week, she and her family are tossed into a fast-paced world of planning and preparation to bring the spirit of the Big Island to the Big Apple. Woven into the fabric of Ola Hou Designs is a story of resilience, family, and turning dreams into reality.

4pm, Unreined
Nancy Zeitlin, an American-Israeli equestrian champion, is fearless when adapting to a new country, breaking stereotypes and jumping barriers. Horses are her companion through an unstable world that allows her to do the unthinkable, start the first Palestinian Equestrian team in Jericho.

5pm, Pacific Heartbeat: Island Cowgirls
Island Cowgirls highlights two Hawaiian cowgirls (paniolo) who have dedicated their lives to caring for their family ranches. On the northwest side of Hawai’i island, La’I Bertlemann must make a difficult decision whether to stay and continue her family tradition of land stewardship or leave. Meanwhile, on the south side, Lani Cran Petrie continues to plan for the future of her ranch while faced with the uncertainty of the lease of the land expiring soon.       

Wed, 3/27
11am Big Sonia
In the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski runs the tailor shop she’s owned for more than thirty years. But when she’s served an eviction notice, retirement prompts Sonia to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee. A poignant story of generational trauma and healing, Big Sonia also offers a funny portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry, and the power of truth-telling to heal us all.

12pm Olympia
Olympia is an intimate look into the life and career of beloved Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis and her courageous journey to find her own voice.

1pm Reel South: Stay Prayed Up
The only thing mightier than Lena Mae Perry’s electrifying voice is her faith. She’s spent the last 50 years sharing and honing both as the steadfast frontwoman of The Branchettes, a legendary North Carolina gospel group that has packed churches and lifted weary hearts throughout the South.

Thu, 3/28
11am POV: Love & Stuff
Experience Judith’s multigenerational love story. As a daughter caring for her terminally ill mother and an “old-new mom” adopting a baby in her 50s, this film ultimately asks: “what do we really want to leave our children?”

12:30pm POV: Wisdom Gone Wild
Reflect on aging and transformation over the course of 16 years. This film blends humor and sadness between mother and daughter that blooms into an affectionate portrait of love, care, and a relationship transformed.

4pm AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange: She Had a Dream
Ghofrane, 25, is a young Black Tunisian woman. A committed activist who speaks her mind, she embodies Tunisia’s current political upheaval. As a victim of racial discrimination, Ghofrane decides to go into politics. Through her attempts to get votes, her campaign reveals the many faces of a country seeking to forge a new identity. 

5pm America Reframed: The Woman on the Outside (NEW)
This series explores the stories of a transforming American culture and its broad diversity. It takes an unfiltered look at relevant domestic topics with personal storytelling tied to programming social themes. The series showcases films that will give viewers the guts, the glory, and the grit of a new and changing America – from contemporary life on Native American reservations to recovery on the Gulf, and from hardships and revitalization in towns big and small to city streets across the country.

6:30pm POV Shorts: Sol in the Garden
After 16 years of incarceration, Sol is released from prison, when she discovers that coming into her own freedom can be as challenging as living behind bars. Through a community gardening collective of formerly incarcerated horticulturalists in East Oakland, Sol strives to recover her humanity and sense of self.

Fri, 3/29
4pm Feelings Are Facts: The Life of Yvonne Rainer
At 25, she took her first dance class. At 28, she changed dance forever. Feelings Are Facts provides a front-row seat to the founding of postmodern dance in America in 1962 and the woman who was at its center.

5:30pm Independent Lens: Move Me
Who am I now? After an accident left dancer Kelsey Peterson paralyzed, she finds new allies within the Spinal Cord Injury community while testing the limits of her recovery, body, and spirit.

Sat, 3/30
5pm American Experience: Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming a Space
Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Also, an anthropologist, Hurston collected folklore throughout the South and Caribbean – reclaiming, honoring and celebrating Black life on its own terms.