March is the perfect time to celebrate and showcase women, their stories, successes, and strength. If you need a reminder of how strong and determined women are, here are 15 movies to inspire you. Empowering Movies

By: Aliaa ElSherbini

Little Women

What women want is to be able to do whatever they want to do. And that is what Little Women is all about. And if her choice is to be a housewife, then be it. There is the classical version of the movie (1994) and a newer version in 2019 with Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson in it. Because still, in 2022, we need to be reminded that women can make their own decisions about their futures.

Miss Congeniality

Sandra Bullock takes the best of both worlds here, where she (forcefully) dresses up and gets in shape for a beauty pageant but keeps true to her determined, fiery, and strong self. The bottom line is you can be incredibly pretty and still be tough, and successful.

On The Basis of Sex

Welcome to the world of American lawyer and jurist Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life, portrayed by Felicity Jones. On the Basis of Sex shows us the fight Ginsburg fought for equal rights and her remarkable work as a Supreme Court justice.

Promising Young Woman

Nominated for the Oscars last year, a Promising Young Woman is a powerful slow-burn movie about the psychological traumas of sexual assault and how society tends to minimize the lingering effects of such incidents. Well, if the system was not able to hold these men accountable, Carey Mulligan will hunt them down for you. A must-watch.

Wild

Just like the name, the movie follows Cheryl Strayed on a solo hike in the wild. It is based on Cheryl’s 2021 memoir about her inspiring trip that turned into a life-altering journey.

Mona Lisa Smile

Julia Roberts plays a teacher in an all-girls university that helps her students see their true potential. There is more to life than being a housewife unless you want it. If you need a reminder that you, as a woman, have the potential to achieve great highs, Mona Lisa Smile is for you. Empowering Movies

Hidden Figures

The film recounts the true story of three black women—Katherine, Mary, and Dorothy—who not only worked but advanced the field in NASA in the 1960s. Once again, women prove they have what it takes to work in fields that are deemed as “male-dominated.”

Mulan

Mulan is the Disney Princess that every little girl should aspire to be. She saves her father, her village, and doesn’t succumb to forced marriage. On top of that, she ends up finding love with a person that sees her for who she is, not just a dolled-up version.

Bend It Like Beckham

This movie is not just about sports but about challenging cultural expectations and the importance of staying true to who you are. Watch it for an extra push to pursue your dreams no matter the challenges. Empowering Movies

Moana

Disney is in with the times and gives us another strong female character. While on a quest to save her people, Moana discovers her true self and identity. This cartoon is a great family night choice if you have kids in the house. Empower the little ones from a young age.

The First Wives Club

Watch as three women reclaim their independence from their ex-husbands in a comedic and charming yet hopeful and truthful way. You also get to see Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, and Goldie Hawn act flawlessly and urge you to rewrite your own narrative.

Thelma and Louise

This classical movie is about badass women on the road, driving through the open highways of the USA and sticking with each other. Imagine the adventures these two outlaws get into. Empowering Movies

Coco Chanel

Here is a movie about romance and grace, yet tells a story about a successful woman who offered other women empowering designs borrowed from men’s clothes to give them the space to dress how they like and express who they were free.

The 355

Four women from different parts of the world join forces in the secret services to save the world. Need I say more?

Real Women Have Curves

We all know that the older generations have a different idea about how a woman should act, and more so, look like. Real Women Have Curves challenges that and shows women with different body types that look nothing like the model-thin image society is obsessed with.

Your body type is not a determination of your womanhood, and this movie proves it endearingly through family dynamics, self-love, and acceptance.

What Makes Women Tick?

Celebrating Women’s Day, we pause to pay tribute to some of the brave and inspiring women who made a mark over the centuries. women in history

Some took over roles as leaders of their people, many battled censure, public opinion and even lost their lives in the battle for change and innovation. Let’s salute them!

Cleopatra, 69 BC-30 BC

Final ruler of Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty, Cleopatra remains widely known for her beauty and being respected as a strong, politically savvy ruler who was directly involved in the affairs of a kingdom that faced ongoing challenges on many fronts.

Boudicca, 30–61

Queen of the Iceni tribe during the Roman occupation of Britain, Boudicca led a Celtic revolt against Roman rule. Leading an army of over 100,000 she managed to drive the Romans out of several key points in Britain. Roman emperor Nero even considered withdrawing from Britain, until the Roman governor, Paullinus finally defeated her in a battle.

Hypatia, 355-415

Hypatia was an Alexandrian mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, whose murder in AD 415 saw her become a martyr for philosophy. She is the first female mathematician about whose life and work we have quite detailed information.

Theodora – Byzantine Empress, 497 -548

Although she had a humble and slightly murky past, Theodora gained a lot of influence and guided her husband in many issues, including speaking out for women’s rights and foreign policy. She successfully had property and divorce laws changed to protect women, which was a remarkable achievement in those times. women in history

Joan of Arc, 1412-31

Joan was born nearly 80 years into the Hundred Years’ War, and the English had taken control of a large part of France. At the tender age of 17 she was sent to the Siege of Orléans to take part in the battle, helping to achieve further French victories and advising on military strategy before being captured by the Burgundians and put into English custody. In 1431, she was found guilty of heresy and burned at the stake.

Catherine the Great, 1729-96 Empress of Russia

As Russia’s longest-ruling female leader, Catherine ruled the country as it developed, expanded, and strengthened. A patron of arts and a supporter of education, her many reforms saw her become one of the most influential rulers in Russian history.

Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759–97

English writer and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft was a strong supporter of education and freedom for women. Her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, was published in 1792 and can be considered one of the first works on modern feminism.

Ada Lovelace, 1815–52

Often regarded to have been the pioneer of computer programming, Ada stood out in her youth for her love of mathematics and science. The only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron, she was known for her work on Charles Babbage’s early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. women in history

Florence Nightingale, 1820–1910

Florence Nightingale was a part of the first official team of British military nurses in Turkey during the Crimean War (1853-56). Known as ‘the Lady with the Lamp’ for the night rounds she made tending to the wounded and sick, she continued in her work after the war and was involved in establishing a permanent military nursing service.

Dowager Empress Cixi of China, 1835-1908

Empress Cixi rose from being a low-ranking concubine of the Xianfeng Emperor to becoming ruler of China. During her regency of nearly 50 years, Cixi instigated a number of economic and military reforms which helped develop China into a more modern world power.

Emmeline Pankhurst, 1858–1928

Social reformer Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union to campaign for the parliamentary vote for women. Pankhurst was known to be a powerful and convincing speaker who encouraged thousands of women to demand their democratic rights. She endured 13 imprisonments but gained worldwide recognition.

Marie Curie, 1867–1934

Polish born Marie Curie dedicated her life to science, and alongside her French husband, Pierre Curie, discovered and explored the effects of radioactivity. Their research uncovered its value in the treatment of cancer.

During the First World War she helped to install X-Ray equipment in ambulances and often drove them to the front line herself. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win a second Nobel Prize. women in history

Marie Stopes, 1880–1958

Marie Stopes was an advocate of birth control and sex educator born in Edinburgh. She published the highly popular books Married Love and Wise Parenthood. She set up the first birth control clinic in a poor working-class area of north London in 1921.

Amelia Earhart, 1897–1937

Amelia Earhart took up aviation at the age of 24 and went on to break the women’s altitude record the following year. In 1932 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, then she became the first person to fly from the Red Sea to India. She was reported missing on 2 July in the Pacific, making her disappearance one of history’s unsolved mysteries.

Grace Hopper, 1906-92 Computer scientist

Grace Hopper was one of the leading players in the computer field, having already become the first woman to earn a PhD in mathematics from Yale University in 1934. While at Harvard, and then in the US Navy, Hopper worked on the very earliest computers and later developed COBOL, the commercial programming language. 

Mother Teresa, 1910–97

Mother Teresa, born in Macedonia to Albanian parents, was a Roman Catholic nun who lived in India for most of her life. She founded the Missionaries of Charity, run by sisters who took vows of chastity, poverty, obedience and free service to the poorest of the poor.

Rosa Parks, 1913–2005

Showing immense bravery in the face of extreme racism, Africa-American immigrant Rosa Parks challenged existing rules in 1955 by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.

This move received support from many African Americans and sparked the civil rights movement, leading to equal rights being granted in the 1960s.

Hedy Lamarr, 1914 –2000

The Golden Age actress was also an inventor who was credited for helping to co-invent a radio signaling device, known as the Secret Communications System. The system changed radio frequencies to confuse and obstruct enemies during World War II and it’s still a part of how we communicate wirelessly today.

Katherine G. Johnson, 1918 – 2020

Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who came up with the complex calculations that helped us fly into space. In 1969, she played a role in sending the first man to the moon. Her work is highlighted in the film Hidden Figures, about the women at NASA.

Rosalind Franklin, 1920–58

When the double helix structure of DNA was discovered, the crucial piece of evidence was provided by the expert crystallographer Rosalind Franklin.women in history

The discoveries that followed, such as mapping the human genome, test-tube babies, and genetic engineering all depended on understanding the chemical foundations of heredity.

Wangari Maathai, 1940-2011

Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner who founded the Green Belt Movement which campaigned for the planting of trees, environmental conversation and women’s rights.

The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, her contribution to sustainable development, peace and democracy was internationally recognized when, in 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Spend some quality time with your mom this mother’s day and watch some comedy and drama movies that you’ll both relate to and bond over.

Parallel Mothers

Starring Milena Smith and Penélope Cruz, the story revolves around two women in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident, but their circumstances are very different. A close bond develops between them and changes their lives in an unexpected way.

The Lost Daughter

An Oscar-nominated performance by Olivia Colman, playing Leda, a woman on vacation alone who becomes fascinated by a young mother and daughter as she watches them on the beach. Studying them, Leda revisits her own memories of the traumatic experiences she encountered during early motherhood. A sudden action changes the course of events.

The Joy Luck Club

An adaptation of Amy Tan’s bestselling novel explores cultural conflict and the tumultuous relationships between four first-generation Chinese-American women. The film explores the connection between mothers and daughters across continents and generations.

Tully

Marlo is a New York suburban mom who’s about to give birth to her third child. She isn’t coping, so her husband brings in a nanny, Tully, to help. It gives a frank look at the issues of postpartum depression and how important emotional support can be.

Terms of Endearment

A vintage 1983 film that still rings true, Terms of Endearment shows the struggle a woman can have raising a family when there is very little empathy or fidelity from her husband, especially when her own mother disapproves of the marriage from day one and is eventually proved right. A twist of fate brings things to the surface. Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger star in the main roles.

Life As We Know It

We meet two people who certainly had no plans to be parents together. But when life threw a curve ball and they had to step into the role, they faced raising their friends’ child under sad circumstances. This moving film tracks the learning, loving and bonding process that evolves.

Lion

This emotionally gripping film from 2016 has riveting performances from both Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel, each bringing insight into the importance of motherhood and the ties that cannot be broken. Superb cinematography in both Australia and India, along with great acting and a strong storyline make this a ‘must see’ film, that you will want to revisit time and again.

Lady Bird

Notoriously complicated, the critical teenage years can see many battles between rebellious young daughters and their mothers. Lady Bird, played by Saoirse Ronan, craves more freedom and breathing space but comes up against her possessive, protective and domineering mother, played by Laurie Metcalf. As events unfold, it becomes obvious that there is rarely a truer friend than a mother, though.

Yes Day

Constantly laying down the rules for an unruly family can be exhausting. Allison (Jennifer Garner) decides to let her kids have a day to make up their own rules for a change. The outcome is a laugh-a-minute comedy that shows the riotous outcome.

Postcards from the Edge

Superb performances by Meryl Streep, who plays a famous actress who’s forced through a twist in circumstances to move back in with her mom, portrayed by Shirley MacLaine, make this an unmissable movie. It proves that a mother will always be a mom, no matter what age her offspring, or how impossible they become.

The Guilt Trip

Road trips often bring people closer together, in spite of the tensions and differences that inevitably arise when togetherness becomes a bit much. See what happens when Joyce (Barbra Streisand) joins her son Andrew (Seth Rogen) for a hilarious, event-filled road trip.

Mamma Mia

With all the ingredients you need for a special Mother’s Day watch, sit back and enjoy some of the best actors around play out a quirky rom-com on an idyllic Greek island. When a daughter I about to get married, she thinks it is a good time to finally work out who her father is. That is when the fun starts!

Freaky Friday

With a little bit of help from a magic hourglass, a mom and daughter switch bodies. It is all good fun until the hourglass accidentally breaks. That’s when they realize they are in trouble!

Because I Said So

Every mom wants to see her baby grow up and marry Mr. or Ms. Right, so when Daphne Wider, played brilliantly by Diane Keaton, tries to ensure her daughter’s future happiness by helping her avoid the pitfalls she herself fell into by placing an advertisement for the perfect mate, things get super complicated.

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