Women with a Mission
Season 1
Women with a Mission is a series of 3 short documentary films. Each film tells a compelling story about a woman with a mission who, under most challenging circumstances, follows her passion and uses sports for change.
Where to Watch Women with a Mission • Season 1
3 Episodes
- Jalou
E1JalouIn the documentary film Women with a Mission - Rocky street football legend Roxanne 'Rocky' Hehakaija is followed as she returns to Rio de Janeiro where she worked in the favelas as a coach of the Favela Street Girls. With this girls' football team Rocky won the Street Child World Cup that was also held in Rio de Janeiro. Rocky has a strong bond with the girls for whom she is a real role model. The reunion in Rio de Janeiro is filled with emotions. In the documentary film Rocky tells about her decision to work as a coach in the favelas and what this has meant to her. The Favela Street Girls and others involved in the project talk about Rocky who, with her contribution as a coach, changed the lives of the girls and created new opportunities for them. - Sharita
E2SharitaIn the documentary film Women with a Mission - Jalou the portrait is sketched of world champion kitesurfing Jalou Langeree who wants to reach for the highest in kitesurfing and who wants to be an inspiration for girls and women to also take part in extreme sports. With the full support of her family Jalou puts all effort in becoming the best and in staying at the top in her sport although this is not always understood by everyone. Within the sport itself, which is strongly dominated by men, and beyond, Jalou has to fight for the right appreciation of her performance. Her mother Ellen Langeree and her brother Kevin Langeree, also a kitesurfing world champion, speak in awe of her perseverance and her skills in the water. It becomes clear that Jalou is on a mission to create equality between men and women in extreme sports. - Rocky
E3RockyIn the documentary film Women with a Mission - Sharita boxing coach Sharita van der Hulst is followed during a course for boxing coaches that she provides in the South African prison Drakenstein Correctional Centre where heavy sentences are served. Sharita has a strong belief in the power of sports, in her case the sport of boxing, to give prisoners a challenge and a goal in their life. With her professional and enthusiastic commitment Sharita manages to gain the confidence of the prisoners who heap praise on what they learn and on how it helps them during their stay in prison and eventually beyond. The documentary film gives a unique look into the prison where Nelson Mandela, himself boxer, was serving the last 18 months of his captivity before he finally came on free foot and shows what it means to get a second chance.