14 Women Preview Trailer

"14 Women", a film by Mary Lambert

With the opening of the 109th congress, the number of women in the US Senate rocketed from nine to fourteen, with more females serving in 2002 than in the entire 228-year history of the legislative branch.

Three powerful states, Washington, California and Maine, were suddenly represented by not just one but two women senators, and places as far flung as Alaska and North Carolina have joined the fray, signifying a broad spectrum of the American political landscape on both sides of the aisle. In one pivotal term, the architecture of the U.S. political machine appeared to have been dramatically altered.

History, it would seem, was in the making.

Had the door of opportunity finally swung open, or did it happen to creak accidentally ajar? Do Americans want women in political office and what will they do to get them in, keep them in or throw them out? In 14 Women we explore these questions by creating an intimate documentary portrait of the 14 female senators who currently serve our country, utilizing a cinema verite, fly-on-the-wall approach to follow them as they struggle to fight the good fight while balancing their families, friends, staff, and work loads from 2004 – 2006.

Mary Lambert, who has been directing acclaimed music videos, theatrical features and television films since 1982, has been able to gain extraordinary access to the Senators and their lives and staffs, thanks to a close relationship with her sister, Senator Blanche Lincoln, and producer, Nicole Boxer, who is the daughter of Senator Barbara Boxer. Together with Director of Photography Bill Pope, cinematographer of The Matrix movies and Spiderman 2, she has designed a vital, kinetic, action oriented look at the lives of these incredible, action-oriented women that allows us to explore the issues, advantages and disadvantages of being a female politician during these crazy years.

By witnessing the democratic process through the eyes of this very special group of Americans, we hope to bring attention to a group of extraordinary women at a critical moment in our history, when a decade of momentous change could become what’s finally par for the course.