Where were You

Doc Shorts: Women's World

121 minutes 87Films

A global survey of the myriad challenges faced by women both past and present.

In this program
City of Widows

City of Widows

Directed by
Lacey Uhlemeyer
2019
11 minutes
Hindi
Though they number more than 46 million, widows in India remain one of the most stigmatized, neglected, and marginalized groups in the country, as tragically illustrated by the story of Hari Dasi.
Hysterical Girl

Hysterical Girl

Directed by
Kate Novack
U.S.
2020
13 minutes
English
An exploration of the influence that Sigmund Freud's theory of female hysteria — based on a case history of a 17-year-old girl whose parents brought her to therapy after she accused a family friend of sexual assault — has had on popular culture over the past century.
I Want to Make a Film about Women

I Want to Make a Film about Women

Directed by
Karen Pearlman
Australia
2019
12 minutes
English & Russian

Essy Award for Best Documentary Short. A speculative love letter to Russian constructivist women in the 1920s Soviet Union, which championed equality for women and great innovation in the creative arts — until it didn't.

The Long Wait

The Long Wait

Directed by
Shuang Li
2020
26 minutes
Chinese & English
A look at three single women in China fighting for their reproductive rights in the aftermath of the country's one-child policy.
Messania's Story

Messania's Story

Directed by
Laki Karavias
2020
20 minutes
West Pokot
Like many young girls from Africa, Messania was forced to undergo female genital mutilation to make her marriageable to a much older stranger, but she found the determination to escape abuse and challenge harmful cultural norms.
Ours to Tell

Ours to Tell

Directed by
Rayka Zehtabchi
U.S.
2020
17 minutes
English
Four women share their stories of how the right to access abortion acted as a dynamic turning point in their journeys to freedom and self-love.
Where Were You?

Where Were You?

Directed by
María Trénor Colomer
Spain
2020
20 minutes
English, Portuguese & Spanish
Animated stories from the Phillipines, Mozambique, and Spain illustrate the universality of everyday violence against women.