Celebrate Women’s History Month by exploring these nine SDF documentaries about women who made history and those continuing to do so.
ANGEL OF ALABAMA (2023)
Director: Elijah Yetter-Bowman
Logline: A mid-career investigator returns home in rural Alabama to support her mother’s failing health. Amidst unusually rampant disease, she becomes a caretaker for her community until an unexpected diagnosis launches her investigation to heal her county.
Watch: Streaming on Alexander Street
SILENT BEAUTY (2022)
Director: Jasmin Mara López
Logline: One woman’s attempt to heal from childhood sexual abuse evolves into a family’s journey of discovery, loss, and bonding—at once agonizing and beautiful.
Watch: Streaming on PBS
STAY PRAYED UP (2022)
Directors: D.L. Anderson & Matthew Durning
Logline: Lena Mae Perry’s electrifying voice may surprise you, but the power of her gospel will never leave you in this lively celebration of a North Carolina gospel crew, their steadfast faith, and the songs that get them through.
Watch: Streaming on Tubi
YOU GAVE ME A SONG (2019)
Director: Kenny Dalsheimer
Logline: You Gave Me A Song offers an intimate portrait of old-time music pioneer Alice Gerrard and her remarkable, unpredictable journey creating and preserving traditional music.
Watch: Streaming on The Groove Productions
LILLIAN SMITH: BREAKING THE SILENCE (2019)
Director: Hal Jacobs
Logline: One of the forgotten heroes behind the Civil Rights Movement, a courageous writer recognized by Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin and others, she was a voice of reason to white and black southerners afraid to speak out. Here was a white, gay, Southern woman who remained in the South and wasn’t afraid to break the silence against the demagogues.
Watch: Streaming on Vimeo
LANDSCAPES OF THE HEART: THE ELIZABETH SPENCER STORY (2014)
Director: Rebecca Cerese
Logline: Landscapes of the Heart: The Elizabeth Spencer Story is a documentary film offering a window into an extraordinary author’s life and work, viewed through the prism of her Southern lineage. It features archival photography and film clips, re-enactments, and interviews with many of today’s most important writers of the American South.
Watch: Streaming on Alexander Street
ALTHEA (2014)
Director: Rex Miller
Logline: A documentary focused on the trailblazing athlete Althea Gibson, the first African-American to play and win at Wimbledon and Forest Hills.
Watch: Streaming on Tubi
GOOD OL’ FREDA (2013)
Director: Ryan White
Logline: Freda Kelly, secretary and friend to The Beatles from their start to their iconic end, shares her story of dedicated and loyal professional life.
Watch: Streaming on Tubi
A CHEF’S LIFE (2013)
Director: Cynthia Hill
Logline: A Chef’s Life is a half-hour character-driven documentary and cooking series that takes viewers inside the life of Chef Vivian Howard, who, with her husband Ben Knight, left the big city to open a fine dining restaurant in small-town Eastern North Carolina.
Watch: Streaming on PBS
