There are multiple ways to celebrate Women’s History Month and the achievements and milestones of some of history’s loudest and proudest voices, whether it be reading about trailblazers or watching great movies highlighting their lives. Another way – one that will hopefully shed light on some of those voices – is to watch great documentaries that focus on some of history’s most notable female voices, as well as some lesser known movements like that of a group of Minnesota bank tellers who made a stand for equal rights and equal pay and a group of women learning to drive after the practice was made legal in Saudi Arabia.
Below is a collection of those documentaries and information on what they’re about and where you can watch them. They’re moving, empowering, and enlightening in their approach to their respective subjects. Let’s get started…
Screen Queens Rising
In recent years, Black actresses like Lupita Nyong’o, Viola Davis, Regina King, and Angela Bassett have risen to the top of Hollywood with commanding performances in consequential movies that have earned them heaps of praise, awards, and power in the movie industry. Tine Fields’ 2022 documentary, Screen Queens Rising dives into how the likes of those famous actresses, as well as countless others who have made an unprecedented ascension to the top of the entertainment industry while also chronicling the struggles and obstacles those who came before them faced throughout the 20th century.
Stream Screen Queens Rising on Disney+.
Also try: This Changes Everything on Netflix.
Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce
There are concert documentaries and then there is Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce, the 2019 Netflix exclusive that showcased the most decorated artist in the history of the Grammys during her landmark performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In addition to featuring incredible standout moments from the now iconic concert, including the long-awaited Destiny’s Child reunion, the empowering documentary film also focuses on Beyonce’s personal life and everything it took for the chart-topping performer to get back to the stage after a difficult pregnancy.
Stream Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce on Netflix.
Saudi Women’s Driving School
In 2017, a long-standing royal decree in Saudi Arabia was lifted, allowing women to drive for the first time in more than half a century. This monumental change in Saudi policy was seen as a major step in the right direction for the extremely conservative kingdom, but there was only one problem, so many of the women who could now drive didn’t know how to do so. The 2019 HBO documentary, Saudi Women’s Driving School follows a group of those prospective drivers as they learn how to operate a car and take to the streets for the first time in several generations.
Stream Saudi Women’s Driving School on HBO Max.
9 To 5: The Story Of A Movement
Underpaid, undervalued, and fed up, a group of secretaries in 1970s Boston took matters into their own hands to bring about change in the workforce. Their radical approach to forcing their bosses to give them better pay and advancement opportunities and less sexual harassment inspired a revolution in the workforce, an iconic film, and years later, a documentary film called 9 to 5: The Story of a Movement. Directed by Academy Award winners Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, this 2021 documentary sheds even more light on the small movement that changed American society forever.
Stream 9 To 5: The Story Of A Movement on Netflix.
I Am Greta
Another great addition to the list of Hulu original documentaries, Nathan Grossman’s I Am Greta chronicles the unprecedented rise of climate change activist Greta Thunberg as she went from a young yet powerful voice leading a one-person school strike to being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. With a combination of never-before-seen footage of Thunberg’s younger years and new material captured during her rise on the global stage, this intimate documentary sheds light on one of society’s youngest and most powerful voices.
Reversing Roe
Released four years before Roe v. Wade was overturned by the United States Supreme Court, the Netflix original documentary film Reversing Roe breaks down the controversial 1973 ruling, the women who were given the freedom to make their own decisions because of it, and the various pro-life groups who have fought tooth-and-nail to have it overturned. It’s strange looking back on a documentary based on hypotheticals that eventually became reality, but it paints an enlightening picture of the drama surrounding the case.
Stream Reversing Roe on Netflix.
GLOW: The Story Of The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling
There are a lot of wrestling documentaries on Peacock, and one of the best is GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Much like the Netflix show that would follow several years later, this 2012 documentary breaks down the incredible rise and fall of the first all-female wrestling company that ushered in a new era of sports entertainment in the late 1980s. Through interviews with the wrestlers who dominated GLOW and footage of some of the show’s biggest moments, this documentary is a must for die-hard and casual wrestling fans alike.
Stream GLOW: The Story Of The Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling on Peacock.
RBG
One of the most fascinating portraits of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the 2018 Academy Award-nominated documentary RBG, which was released a couple of years before her passing. Through interviews with RBG herself and those she inspired throughout her life and career, Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s eye-opening documentary paints the full picture, showing how much of an impact she had on the country.
Stream RBG on Prime Video.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
To some, Hedy Lamarr will forever be known as one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in the Golden Age of Hollywood, while others see her as one of the inventors of one of the most widely used technologies today. Well, Alexander Dean’s 2017 documentary, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, touches on both sides of the screen legend’s life: the one in front of the camera that saw her appear in Samson and Delilah, Lady of the Tropics, and more, as well as her more scientific side, which saw her invent the technology that would later be used in Bluetooth and GPS years later.
Stream Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story on Kanopy.
What Happened, Miss Simone?
One of the loudest and proudest voices of her time, Nina Simone was a titan of the music industry who refused to back down from a fight and stood up for what she believed was right. Liz Garbus’ Primetime Emmy and Peabody Award-winning 2015 Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? explores Simone’s life and legacy through a combination of interviews and archival footage (some of which had never been seen prior to the film’s release).
Stream What Happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix.
He Named Me Malala
Around a decade ago, the story of Malala Yousafzai both shocked and inspired people around the world after the young activist was shot and nearly killed by Taliban militants for speaking up about equal rights for young girls in her native Pakistan. Not silenced by the attack, Yousafzai, still a teenager at the time, became an international sign of hope for her tireless crusade to fight for education rights that ended up earning her a Nobel Peace Prize
The 2015 documentary, He Named Me Malala, dives into her remarkable life, civil rights work, and how she has inspired countless other young girls to speak up against the injustices of the world and to never back down from a fight.
Rent/Buy He Named Me Malala on Amazon.
Everything Is Copy — Nora Ephron: Scripted And Unscripted
More times than not, when Nora Ephron’s name comes up, people think of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and other great romantic comedies she wrote or directed over the years. Ephron, who passed away in 2012, did in fact give the world some of the most timeless romance stories of the past 40 years, but that’s only one part of her life.
The 2015 HBO documentary Everything Is Copy — Nora Ephron: Scripted and Unscripted touches on the late writer’s life and career from her days as a low-level Newsweek employee to one of the most unique voices of her time, first in the newspaper industry and later on in Hollywood.
Stream Everything Is Copy — Nora Ephron: Scripted And Unscripted on HBO Max.
Becoming
In 2018, former First Lady Michelle Obama released the successful memoir, Becoming, which talked about her experiences in life (before and after spending eight years in the White House) and her philosophies on life, creating an amazingly detailed exploration of what makes her tick. Two years later, Nadia Hallgren’s documentary of the same name was released and touched upon some of the book’s bigger points while also expanding upon Obama’s way of thinking.
Stream Becoming on Netflix.
The Willmar 8
In December 1977, eight Citizens National Bank employees in Willmar, Minnesota, went on strike to protest sex discrimination they had been subjected to by not receiving equal pay and being denied opportunities for advancement. Over the course of two years, the group braved the elements (in subzero temperatures in the Minnesota winter) and a lack of support from their community, but continued to picket in front of their employer, refusing to back down.
The story of those fearless bank employees was shared in great detail in Lee Grant’s 1981 documentary, The Willmar 8, which offers insight into the protest, how the women carried it out, and the response from those in their community and elsewhere.
Stream The Willmar 8 on Kanopy.
A Thousand Cuts
One of the best PBS Frontline documentaries, A Thousand Cuts tells the story of Maria Ressa, the founder of online news outlet Rappler, who came under fire from Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for covering his government’s corruption and proliferation of misinformation on social media outlets like Facebook.
Released prior to Ressa being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, Ramona S. Diaz’s movie paints a portrait of a woman who refuses to back down even when her career, legacy, and life are on the line.
Stream A Thousand Cuts on YouTube.
Chisholm ’72: Unbought And Unbossed
Shirley Chisholm made history in 1968 when she became the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress, serving in New York’s 12th district for a total of seven terms between 1969 and 1983. Chisholm made history again in 1972 when she announced plans to run for the President of the United States, becoming not only the first woman to seek the Democratic nomination but also the first African American politician to do so. That monumental run, and the rest of the trailblazer’s life are broken down in the 2004 documentary, Chisholm ‘72: Unbought and Unbossed, an eye-opening exploration to say the least.
Stream Chisholm ’72: Unbought And Unbossed on Prime Video.
Jane
For more than half-a-century Jane Goodall’s name has become synonymous with conservancy, due to her never-ending service to the world’s animals, specifically primates. There have been countless documentaries and specials about Goodall over the years, but few compare in terms of scope and intimacy as Brett Morgan’s stunning nature documentary, JANE, which draws from 100 hours of never-before-seen footage from her life and research.
Stream Jane on Disney+.
Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt And Anderson Cooper
The late Gloria Vanderbilt was an accomplished fashion designer, writer, and heiress whose life had multiple ups and downs, victories and defeats, and amazing stories throughout. Those stories are shared in great detail in the 2016 HBO documentary Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper, which features extensive interviews between the prominent figure and her son, one of the faces of CNN.
Stream Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt And Anderson Cooper on HBO Max.
Hopefully you get as much out of these documentaries as we did. If you want to know what other great documentaries are coming to your favorite streaming services, check CinemaBlend's 2023 TV schedule so you don't miss a thing.
