Running with My Girls
Directed by Rebekah Henderson
Tired of watching local government ignore their communities’ interests, five diverse female activists decide to run for municipal office in Denver — one of the fastest gentrifying cities in the U.S.
US | 2021 | 97 minutes | Color | DVD | English | Order No. W221291 |
SYNOPSIS
Tired of watching local government ignore their communities’ interests, five diverse female activists decide to run for municipal office in Denver — one of the fastest gentrifying cities in the country. It begins when Shontel Lewis wins a transit board seat, inspiring four women who worked on her campaign – Dr. Lisa Calderón, Candi CdeBaca, Shayla Richard, and Veronica Barela – to make the unusual decision to run as a cohort. They quickly realize that in politics, large sums of money can convince voters to overlook scandals, empty promises, and shallow relationships with the community.
With only a fraction of the funds of their incumbent opponents, the women tirelessly knock doors, make calls, and rely on each other to power their grassroots campaigns. Using an intimate and unfiltered style to tell each candidate’s story, filmmaker Rebekah Henderson honestly portrays the challenges faced by political outsiders, particularly women of color, while also revealing their tenacious commitment to justice and democracy. Ultimately, RUNNING WITH MY GIRLS is a lesson about an engaged community outrunning the deep pockets of the political establishment and a demonstration that building a new kind of political power is not just aspirational but possible.
PRESS
"An intimate and unfiltered look at the challenges faced by political outsiders."
"Could not recommend it more highly."
“Should be a mandatory viewing for everyone before any election anywhere."
"An intimate and moving lesson that all politics is local, but that the twin Hydra of capitalism and white supremacy is always redefining what and who, is local…it’s both heartbreaking and hopeful."
"Puts a spotlight on the young women of color rising to the occasion in local politics documenting their trials and tribulations. A must watch in the canon of what happens when women run."
"Sets a picture of larger issues that cities across the country are dealing with."
"Showcases their triumphs, struggles and what it means that more activists from underrepresented groups are getting involved in the government."
"Funny, laced with hope, and ultimately a reminder that progress can often be a glacial progress, but every forward step counts. It’ll make you laugh, choke you up and most importantly, inspire you to take action."
"Local politics becomes universal when Henderson shows how neighborhood activism has the raw power to shake the status quo on the rocky road of achieving equality."
SCREENING HIGHLIGHTS AND AWARDS
- Denver Film Festival
- Center for Black Culture and Research Film Festival
- Reel Pride Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
- Alexandria Film Festival
- African Diaspora Film Festival
- Women Transforming Cities, Vancouver
- Meaningful Movies, Seattle
ABOUT FILMMAKER(S)
Rebekah Henderson
Rebekah E. Henderson is a writer, podcaster, and independent documentary film producer based in Denver, Colorado. She has directed and produced two short documentaries, WHAT MAKES A MOTHER and ALL MIXED UP: OUR CHANGING RACIAL IDENTITIES. Known for being an open, honest communicator around issues of race, identity, politics, and social justice, Henderson hosts the podcast Off Color in its various mediums and organizes More Than One Box, an annual event that is designed to provide a space for multiracial and multiethnic people, featuring films, panelists and vendors from Colorado and beyond. RUNNING WITH MY GIRLS is her first feature length documentary. (3/22)
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Four Wives – One Man
From Nahid Persson, the filmmaker of the award-winning Prostitution Behind the Veil, comes an intimate portrait of a polygamist family in a rural Iranian village. Persson reveals the intricacies of the relationships between the four wives, their husband, their astoundingly free-spoken mother-in-law and their numerous children. Sometimes humorous and often heartbreaking, this film follows the daily lives of the wives whose situation has turned them into both bitter rivals and co-conspirators against their abusive husband.
Persson’s camera unobtrusively and beautifully captures the range of the family’s interactions – from peaceful, pastoral scenes of a family picnic, to the temporary chaos caused by a broken faucet in the kitchen, to a furtive, whispered conversation between two wives about the latest beating. The women’s work – making bread, weaving carpets, milking and herding the sheep – provide the background to their frank conversations. Avoiding sensationalism and sentimentality, this film provides unique insights into the practice of polygamy and its effect on the women involved.
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