Seneca Falls is a fresh and inspiring educational documentary fiscally sponsored by San Francisco non-profit Intersection for the Arts and produced and directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Louise Vance. This vibrant, contemporary film chronicles the journey of nine diverse teenage girls from the Bay Area to the historic 150th Anniversary Celebration of the birth of the women's movement in America. Designed for broadcast on public television as well as educational distribution to schools, libraries, resource centers and organizations serving at-risk girls, the finished production will run approximately 85 minutes in length.

Seneca Falls breathes life and relevance into a revolution barely mentioned in history books -- the country's first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. The film transports viewers to a joyful, empowering, week-long celebration of women's rights through the very personal lens of a struggling, multi-cultural teenage theater troupe invited to perform their original play to a national audience as the official delegation from the city of San Francisco. In an unforgettable rite of passage, these nine teens join tens of thousands making the pilgrimage to Seneca Falls from around the world. At the National Women's Rights Historic Park, they unearth the still-unfolding narrative of women's history, meet with Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi and Pat Schroeder, visit the National Women's History Museum, and explore Elizabeth Cady Stanton's home. Throughout the week, the girls begin to examine the role of women in society today informed by events begun one hundred and fifty years ago. The troupe's compelling journey, crossing generations, race, class and a continent, is the heart of our documentary.

Why this film?

"Women's history is starkly absent from the American narrative." - Ken Burns

"This whole thing I couldn't have gotten out of a history book. This is like the best way to get it." - April Seals, age 17

While much has been written about the alarming confidence gap among adolescent girls today, precious few media resources have been produced to counteract this disturbing trend. Seneca Falls sets out to remedy this by providing a powerful blueprint for girls and women to access their own personal strengths and visions, to explore their history, to find their voices, and to participate in creating a healthy future for themselves and their communities.

The impact this film will have on those who view it promises to be dramatic. For generations to come, girls and women will be able to access their history and share in the unity, the impassioned dialogue, the honoring of women's achievements, and the vision for a more equitable world that came out of this historic gathering in Seneca Falls. And with this film, we are planting seeds. We will develop study guides for classroom use, as well as an interactive module on the web that will promote further artistic expression of women's history and generate grassroots action to address issues facing women and girls in the 21st century.