Sisterhood: How Women Can Save the World

Spanning six continents, “SISTERHOOD” is a feature-length documentary exploring communities of women and girls confronting today’s most crucial problems. Through intimate stories of resilience and solidarity, they deliver an urgent message for transformative, sustainable, and equitable change. “SISTERHOOD” asks: what happens when those most excluded from power lead anyway?

Full Film Summary:

"SISTERHOOD" shows women and girls reshaping the future through courageous collective actions:

Carved by racism, where even the soil remembers struggle, “SISTERHOOD” begins in Louisiana featuring Women of Color (WŌC) creating healing. For Carmen Randolph, sisterhood is both shield and spark. At the Women’s Foundation of the South, she created WŌC@Rest®, a burnout antidote. She fuels a quiet revolution alongside Andreanecia Morris, who confronts New Orleans’ housing crisis with fierce resolve. “If I don’t fight for us, who will?” Andreanecia asks. “But I’m putting my health last”. This is our Health and Well-Being story—where rest becomes resistance and from their sisterhood we learn how to rise.

Spanning continents, girls show that courage knows no borders—and behind every empowered girl is a network of women. In Warsaw, Vital Voices Poland mentors through its “I am a Leader” program, our Education story. Young women join a transformative week to reshape how they see themselves and how the world sees them. We follow 21 girls from embassies to village halls, gaining confidence and commitments to lead. Georgette Mosbacher, Alicja Chodak, and Paulina Domek share, “It starts with believing in yourself.” Their project uplifts school-age girls in rural towns. As these young leaders find their voices, they create something even more powerful—a sisterhood uplifting entire communities.

Oceans away, Indonesian women are reweaving traditions into sustainable futures. Tech trailblazer Shinta Dhanuwardoyo works with Cita Tenun Indonesia, a women-led cooperative reviving tenun weaving. Once suppressed under colonialism, tenun symbolizes pride, resilience, and economic empowerment—our Economic Growth story. Their vision thrives through bold collaborations with female designers to empower women. From village looms to Jakarta Fashion Week, this story celebrates empowered women and the timeless weave between tradition and progress.

From ancient lands comes a voice that cannot be shaken—June Oscar, the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman to serve as Australia’s Social Justice Commissioner. Taken from her mother at age seven, June now leads a movement that turns pain into power. Her work bridges intergenerational trauma with healing—restoring strength through culture and knowledge. At the helm of Wiyi Yani U Thangani (“Women’s Voices”), she unites over 900+ First Nations women into spaces long denied them. This is our Reduced Inequalities story. At Women Deliver in Melbourne, they’ll stand before 30,000+ changemakers, but their voices won’t fade with applause—they will rise like smoke and thunder, carrying Indigenous-led solutions into the future.

From the Outback to the Amazon, one truth echoes: when Indigenous women speak, the Earth itself speaks. Yet their voices are often sidelined. Leaders like Célia Xakriabá, Puyr Tembé, and Patricia and Helena Gualinga, rise with unshakable clarity—embodying insight and sisterhood. As part of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network’s Indigenous delegation to the UN COP Climate Conference, they reclaim power—on ancestral lands and at the heart of global climate negotiations. This once-in-a-generation moment is our Climate Action story revealing how land, law, and guardianship intersect. Women’s leadership may be the most powerful solution we have left.

In one of the world’s most unequal countries—ranked 181 of 191—something extraordinary happened. On International Day of the Girl 2022, Sierra Leone’s Parliament opened its chambers to Plan International’s “Girls Takeover.” Blessing (17) took the podium: “We’ve been silenced, told women cannot lead. But we are here—in seats that have never held voices like ours.” Alongside her, Fatmata, Lucia, and Cassandra debated the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, demanding 30% of leadership roles for women—when only 14% existed. One year later, the law passed. Women now hold 30.4% of Parliament. This is our Gender Justice story—told through archival footage, interviews, and on October 11, 2026, the girls will return to Parliament—proof that when girls rise, nations are transformed.

At the heart of global diplomacy stands a hard truth: The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has had 75 male Presidents and only 4 women—and never a female Secretary-General. “SISTERHOOD” offers a critical behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming UNGA. GWL Voices—76+ former female heads of state and diplomats, including María Fernanda Espinosa and Susana Malcorra—are calling for gender-balanced leadership and the historic election of the first woman Secretary-General. This Global Partnership story captures the swearing-in of Annalena Baerbock as UNGA President—a symbolic victory. But the vote for Secretary-General looms uncertain, and the odds remain steep. GWL Voices and Plan International girls forge an intergenerational sisterhood working together to secure women's rightful seat at every table, demanding accountability even if power keeps the doors shut.

Artistic Approach:

“SISTERHOOD” has a global approach, meant to inform, challenge, and activate our audience. Using a combination of methods (narration, B-roll, archives, and interviews), the omnipresent character in "SISTERHOOD" is women working together. Our primary theme is bravery and the tone is optimistic and collaborative. Dr. Leidenfrost uses a handheld Vérité shooting style to move quickly. Furthermore this approach and its minimal equipment, also make participants more comfortable. Each storyline, approximately 10 minutes long, will be filmed on a different continent and woven together through the voice of a female narrator and an original world music score. Archival material is from the participants, the UN, and news outlets. “SISTERHOOD” is in English, with subtitles.

"SISTERHOOD" opens in a humid New Orleans’ suburb. The sun casts long shadows across porches and parishes as the camera glides toward a bustling community center. The voices of Women of Color ring out—resolute and full of fire. Jazz chords swell and cicadas hum under scenes of laughter and quiet moments of reflection. As Andreanecia speaks, a heart monitor beats—subtle but urgent. We feel her exhaustion, her strength, and her refusal to be erased. It’s a portrait of resilience, community, and unwavering spirit. Then, a shift—cold air, cobblestone streets. We’re in Poland, where nervous chatter fills the air. The “I Am a Leader” program captures transformation: young women scribble goals, role-play negotiations, hold a mic for the first time. Classroom scenes fade into rural villages where mentorships take root. Nervous smiles become confident speeches, challenging centuries of gendered expectations. The soundtrack lifts—hopeful, youthful, revolutionary. From there, light and color explode on screen: Jakarta’s sprawling skyline dissolves into scenes of rural looms. Fingers dance across silk threads dyed in vibrant hues. Shinta and the women designers speak passionately about sustainability at the CTI office, a rhythmic mix of music pulsing beneath. Fabrics are draped, sewing machines whir, and the energy builds—culminating in the roar of Jakarta Fashion Week, where models stride the runway with cultural pride and a vision for a more conscious future. The tone deepens. Sweeping shots of the Australian outback. First Nations women gather in circle. Their stories, told against red earth and roaring fires, confront long histories of injustice. Resolutely, June shares her story; archival photos show her and her mother. We follow her through creating Wiyi Yani U Thangani, showing storied faces and layered voices of First Nations women’s lived experiences. At Women Deliver, they take the stage as visionaries. Their words echo—powerful, ancestral, and alive. The audience feels their strength: unshakable and enduring. In Brazil, Amazon rivers weave like veins, life thrums in every shadowed corner. Célia’s unwavering voice at a COP podium. Intercut: forest fires, protesting, and replanting ceremonies. Alongside Puyr and the Gualinga sisters, Indigenous women lead delegations. Rain hits leaves like applause. The Earth listens. So do we. Their voices—part ritual, part protest—echo with fierce love, where resistance and renewal grow side by side. A new door opens onto Sierra Leone’s male-dominated Parliament, girls’ voices cut through centuries of silence. Dressed in parliamentary robes and blond wigs, they debate legislation. Media flood the room. The girls occupy power with unapologetic force. One year later, a historic vote; newsreel headlines: Women Now 30.4% of Parliament. October 11th 2026, the girls return; the chamber sparks with electricity. Because when girls lead, history bends. Arriving at the UN, the marble hall echoes with footsteps. María, Susana, and teenage ambassadors diplomatically navigate with grace. We feel the gravity of history in the making. In the General Assembly, nations sit in tiers, framed by curved walls and a blue UN emblem—where peace, power, and possibility collide. Annalena Baerbock is sworn in as the 5th female UNGA President, cameras flash, and friendly nations clap. She calls the next vote: the Secretary-General. Each country casts its ballot. “SISTERHOOD” unfolds on a global stage—will the old guard hold fast or will women shatter the UN’s glass ceiling?

Fading to the final moments, a montage shows diverse women and girls—different continents, one hopeful fight. Over this living tapestry, “Girl Takeover” candidate Audrey (20) reflects: “I used to think all those world problems were just talk—another list from politicians. I thought, ‘I could’ve come up with that.’ But now, I’m connected to something bigger. These women and girls show me how to make change—and not feel powerless.” The last image holds: arms raised above and linked, eyes forward. One word rises on screen—SISTERHOOD.