Two Women Living Their Message Through Film:
The Empowerment Project

“What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

That is the question filmmakers Sarah Moshman and Dana Michelle Cook set out to answer through interviews with women leaders across the United States.  Their interviews turned into 34 days of footage and became The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things, a film that screened with a Q&A with Moshman and Cook at Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma this afternoon.

The Empowerment Project offers personal stories of resilience, perseverance, self-discovery and leadership from women in a variety of fields – culinary, athletic, aviation, and more.  A couple of my favorite interviews in the film were those with Girls on the Run founder, Molly Barker and Four Star Admiral in the US Navy, Michelle Howard.

While the film offers a variety of examples of empowered women, I was most impressed with the filmmakers themselves.  Moshman and Cook are currently touring schools and theaters throughout the country showing their film.  Unhappy with the way they saw women portrayed in the television industry they worked in, they left their jobs, generated $28,000 on Kickstarter, and set off in a minivan with their crew for a month to live their dream.  What started as an idea is now a film that inspired attendees at Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma today and will go on to inspire many more.

The Empowerment Project offers a real solution to the way women are generally portrayed in the media.  Giving people – girls, boys, and adults alike – new role models is key.  Congratulations and thank you, Dana, Sarah, and all of those who have supported you.

Check out their site for a screening in your area: https://indieflix.com/empowermentproject

2 Comments

  1. Stephanie on March 12, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    Agreed, Kate! Glad you got to see them, too! They are such great examples of women who are risking all to live their dream.

  2. Kate MacAllister on March 12, 2015 at 7:55 pm

    I saw the trailer and heard them speak briefly at an event recently and was so impressed! We need more projects like this!

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