37 Words
Filmmaker: Dawn Porter
Representative: Dawn Porter
Runtime: 4 Episodes, 50 Min Each
Synopsis: 37 Words tells the inspiring story of Title IX – the hard-fought battle to push for equal rights in education and athletics; the decades spanning effort to nullify its impact; and the rippling impacts of the landmark civil rights law that continue to resonate today. Featuring Billie Jean King, Gloria Steinem, Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Barack Obama and legendary figures in sports and politics that played a critical role in passing and maintaining the legislation. The four part series charts the spectacular transformation that 37 words have inspired in American culture and the lives of women, as well as the many ways in which the spirit of this bold law has yet to be fully realized.
Ep 1: TOO PUSHY FOR A WOMAN
In the 1960s, the opportunities for women in America are fundamentally limited, with doors to education and professional growth – as well as athletic training – often closed. But the strategies and successes of the civil rights movement reveal new paths to progress, and as researchers and legislative aides team up to quietly foment legislative action, pioneering female athletes use their public successes to strike new ground. When these forces ultimately come together, American life is changed forever.
Ep 2: THESE ARE THE BODIES
Laws may change with a president’s signature, but what does revolution look like on the ground? In the 1970’s, buoyed by the radical new legislation that is Title IX, the first generation of the law’s beneficiaries have the painful job of turning lofty legal language into a reality. At times at great personal cost, these women transform the promise of 37 words into true progress.
Ep 3: WE FIGHT FOR WINS
After a generation of Title IX, girls who have had the doors of opportunity opened to them deliver in spades. Female superstars amass Olympic gold medals and World Cup wins, inspiring young girls and boys alike and using their power to create more change. Yet discrimination persists, and as a cultural awakening around sexual harassment unfolds across America, Title IX gains both new attention and new foes.
Ep 4: THE NEXT FRONTIER
At the center of the biggest Title IX controversies of today, young trans girls live through the consequences of a culture war that has called into question the entire framework of Title IX; teenage feminists and professional soccer players alike demand more of the systems built to protect them; and high school softball players fight for the most basic accommodation, a field to match the boys’ – fifty years after the law required it. They all ask, when will the spirit of Title IX truly be realized?
About the Filmmaker
Dawn Porter is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on HBO, PBS, Discovery, and Netflix among others. She is currently directing and executive producing an Apple TV multi-part documentary series with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, which focuses on both mental illness and mental well-being.
