UNLADYLIKE2020

UNLADYLIKE2020 calls into question American history as we know it, reaching back to the dawn of the 20th century to recognize unsung female leaders and women of color trailblazers. The series presents rich biographies of 26 trailblazing American women that everyone should know, who broke barriers in male-dominated fields over 100 years ago, such as politics, journalism, science, business, sports, and the arts, including the first woman to found a hospital on an American Indian reservation, serve in the U.S. Congress, become a bank president, earn an international pilot’s license, lead scientific expeditions in the Arctic, swim the English Channel, sing opera on the main stage at Carnegie Hall, or direct a feature-length movie.

Presenting history in a bold new way, UNLADYLIKE2020 brings these extraordinary stories of daring and persistence back to life through captivating original artwork and animation, rare archival imagery, and interviews with historians, descendants, and accomplished women of today, who reflect on the influence of these pioneers. 

The UNLADYLIKE2020 collection includes short documentary films ranging in length from 9 to 12 minutes profiling 26 different women. Also available is The Changemakers, an hour-long documentary highlighting the names, stories and legacies of 5 pioneers - "first women" – who organized campaigns for social change. Their profound and extraordinary achievements in politics, civil rights and suffrage, largely taken for granted by history, or absent from standard American history texts, underscore the importance of deconstructing and revising the historical record to include the contributions of women and women of color. The inspiring battles that they waged in the name of equality continue to be fought today.

If you are interested in inviting a member of the filmmaking team to be part of a panel discussion or Q&A at a screening event, either in person or virtually, please fill out the project's Event Form here and a team member will be in touch.