Lioness tells stories that would otherwise have been lost to history. Jesse Ellison, NEWSWEEK
How did a group of female support soldiers – mechanics, supply clerks and engineers – end up fighting alongside the Marines in some of the bloodiest counterinsurgency battles of the Iraq war?Read more...
In the dark theater, with the credits still rolling, I could hear sniffles to my right and excited whispers to my left. As the brightening lights gradually illuminated the crowd seated around me, their faces reflected what my ears had already suggested – that this film had resonated deeply with this audience and they were now eager to share their thoughts and their experiences. I felt privileged to be witnessing first hand the tremendous social impact that powerful storytelling like this can have. And to see a film inspire such immediate response and community dialogue affirmed for me that I was pursuing the right line of work. The Interrupters was truly a model for Media that Mattersif I ever did see one.
Lioness is a feature-length documentary film that dramatizes the increasing role of U.S. women in combat, despite an official policy banning such assignments. This unrecognized service effectively deprives women combat veterans of benefits granted to men. The film points to the need for military programs and policies that support appropriate professional recognition, training, and health care for women.
This “pro-sex, anti-sexual violence” project from producer/director Nancy Schwartzman addresses the need for communication among young people in a highly sexualized and increasingly permissive society. An extensive outreach campaign centered around a 30-minute film based on one young woman’s experience provides language, information, context and spaces for articulating terms for mutually respectful relationships.
Lioness tells stories that would otherwise have been lost to history. Jesse Ellison, NEWSWEEK 
In the dark theater, with the credits still rolling, I could hear sniffles to my right and excited whispers to my left. As the brightening lights gradually illuminated the crowd seated around me, their faces reflected what my ears had already suggested – that this film had resonated deeply with this audience and they were now eager to share their thoughts and their experiences. I felt privileged to be witnessing first hand the tremendous social impact that powerful storytelling like this can have. And to see a film inspire such immediate response and community dialogue affirmed for me that I was pursuing the right line of work. 
