Sophia Loren, Salma Hayek, Millie Bobby Brown, Lana Condor, Ava DuVernay and 50 other women participated in selecting a curated series of Netflix shows and movies that are being presented as part of a collection available to subscribers for International Women’s Day.
Netflix in partnership with UN Women on Wednesday launched the series “Because She Watched” of movies and shows that feature women both in front of and behind the camera and aim to inspire the next generation of female viewers. Each of the 55 women who participated in the collection selected one film or show that either shaped the woman they are today or that have helped to advance the cause of women’s rights.
For instance, “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” star Lana Condor selected the Netflix series, “Grace and Frankie,” “Roma” star Yalitza Aparicio selected the documentary “Knock Down the House,” and Sophia Loren selected “The Crown.”
“It takes resilience and courage to be yourself. The resilience to stand up to what society expects of you whilst never being the victim of other people’s expectations and having the courage not to sacrifice who you are. This series left a strong impression on me because it deals with these themes,” Loren said of “The Crown.”
“I chose ‘Grace & Frankie’ because it champions the idea that women can be vibrant, active, entrepreneurs at any age. And celebrates the importance of female relationships,” Condor said of the series.
Other titles included in the collection include “Miss Americana,” “Frances Ha,” “Julie & Julia,” “Young Adult” and Hannah Gadsby’s comedy special “Nanette.”
Subscribers can find all the films and shows on a landing page at Netflix.com/BecauseSheWatched or by searching “Because She Watched,” and titles that are part of the collection will be marked saying they were selected by a specific creator. The collection will be available on Netflix all year.
Netflix will also be pushing out the women’s quotes as to why they made their choices via social media. And members will be able to choose from a selection of “Because She Watched” profile icons to celebrate their favorite female characters from the collection.
The collection is also available globally, and international stars such as Alejandra Azcárate, Hend Sabry and Petra Costa also participated in the survey. However, not all of the movies selected as part of the collection are available in every country.
“This collaboration is about taking on the challenge of telling women’s stories and showing women in all their diversity. It’s about making visible the invisible, and proving that only by fully representing and including women on screen, behind-the-camera and in our narratives overall, society will truly flourish,” Anita Bhatia, UN Women deputy executive director, said in a statement.
“Having a world where everyone is truly represented is about true democracy. And truly seeing ourselves allows us to envision endless possibilities for ourselves and each other,” actress Laverne Cox said in a statement. “‘Orange Is the New Black’ is the first project where I felt genuinely empowered as a woman thanks to the woman at the helm of the show, Jenji Kohan, and the many women directors, writers, producers, and crew members as well as the stories that centered diverse women in an unprecedented way. This show created a space and platform for me as a black openly trans woman that created space for other openly trans women of all races to be truly seen in the depth of our humanity”.
“TV and film have the power to reflect and shape popular culture, which is why we believe it’s so important that more people see their lives reflected in storytelling,” Dr. Stacy L. Smith, founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, said in a statement. “Our research has shown that inclusion behind the camera leads to greater inclusion on screen. We’re encouraged that last year, 20% of the directors of Netflix original films were women and we are excited to celebrate these female creators on International Women’s Day. There’s still more to do to reach equality, but by recognizing female talent from around the world, we hope more women will feel encouraged to tell their stories, pushing that number even higher.”
The theme of International Women’s Day for 2020 is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights,” and Netflix’s “Because She Watched” collection is designed to celebrate the stories that have inspired the women who inspire us.
Check out the list of all the women who participated in the “Because She Watched” series below:
- Alejandra Azcárate – Colombia
- Alice Wu – United States
- Andrea Barata Ribeiro – Brazil
- Anna Winger – Germany
- Ava DuVernay – United States
- Barbara Lopez – Mexico
- Beren Saat – Turkey
- Bruna Mascarenhas – Brazil
- Cecilia Suárez – Mexico
- Chris Nee – United States
- Christian Serratos – United States
- Cindy Bishop – Thailand
- Elena Fortes – Mexico
- Esther Acebo – Spain
- Fadily Camara – France
- Fanny Herrero – France
- Fatimah Abu Bakar – Malaysia
- Francesca Comencini – Italy
- Giovanna Ewbank – Brazil
- Hanna Ardéhn – Sweden
- Hazar Erguclu – Turkey
- Hend Sabry – Egypt
- Ida Elise Broch – Norway
- Janet Mock – United States
- Joyce Cheng – Hong Kong
- Juliana Vicente – Brazil
- Kemi Adetiba – Nigeria
- Kiara Advani – India
- Lali Espósito – Argentina
- Lana Condor – United States
- Lauren Morelli – United States
- Laurie Nunn – England
- Laverne Cox – United States
- Liz Garbus – United States
- Logan Browning – United States
- Lynn Fainchtein – Mexico
- Marcela Benjumea – Colombia
- Mercedes Morán – Argentina
- Mika Ninagawa – Japan
- Millie Bobby Brown – United Kingdom
- Mina El Hammani – Spain
- Mindy Kaling – United States
- Mira Lesmana – Indonesia
- Mithila Palkar – India
- Nahnatchka Khan – United States
- Ngô Thanh Vân – Vietnam
- Nosipho Dumisa – South Africa
- Pathy Dejesus- Brazil
- Paulina Garcia – Chile
- Petra Costa – Brazil
- Salma Hayek – Mexico
- Sandi Tan – Singapore
- Shefali Shah – India
- Sophia Loren – Italy
- Yalitza Aparicio – Mexico