With Super Bowl 50 looming over the Bay Area like the Death Star, Truly CA unearthed a documentary from the archives that offers a different perspective on the game of football. Ladies of the Gridiron chronicles one season of The California Quakes, a LA-based women’s tackle football league. As coach Josh Penn of the Quakes says, “Women’s Tackle Football. WTF. What else does that stand for? What the… yeah. Exactly. That’s usually the reaction I get when I tell people I coach women’s tackle football.”
Filmmaker Briana Young offers an unflinching look at the determination of players in the Independent Women’s Football League to stay on the field despite personal struggles, family obligations, and gender prejudice. With a runtime of just under 35 minutes, Ladies of the Gridiron digs into the passion and grit that make football America’s true pastime. — Julia Shackelford
