This film is more than a profile—it’s a statement about the leadership we need right now. At a time when voting rights, reproductive freedom, and fundamental civil liberties are under direct attack, She Dared to Dream offers a powerful and timely portrait of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, one of the most courageous, principled, and visionary voices in American politics. The film captures her unwavering fight for justice, from her early days as a survivor and advocate in Boston to her current role as a bold legislator leading the charge against extremist efforts like Project 2025. As the first Black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts, Pressley has never waited for permission to speak up or take action—she has consistently challenged systemic inequity with clarity, compassion, and conviction.
She Dared to Dream: Ayanna Pressley had its premiere at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival, in August, where the film was screened for a national audience of enthusiastic film-goers and film lovers, with Rep. Pressley and filmmaker Abby Ginzberg in attendance. The film was then an official selection of the Harlem International Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the Closing Night event and won the award for Best Short Documentary. We are grateful to both Festivals for their inclusion of the film and to the audiences who have so warmly embraced it.
Directed by Abby Ginzberg (NAACP Image Award Winning Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power and produced by Sabrina Schmidt Gordon (To the End, Seeds), the film reflects the urgency of this political moment and the need to spotlight women who are not just breaking glass ceilings, but reimagining the institutions themselves. Pressley’s work to expand access to abortion, defend Black maternal health, and protect vulnerable communities is part of a broader vision for justice, one rooted in lived experience and community power.
She Dared to Dream is the inaugural piece in a new short documentary series dedicated to telling the stories of barrier-breaking women of color in public life. The project brings together a deeply collaborative, intergenerational team of women filmmakers, impact producers, and storytellers committed to advancing equity through film. It is our belief that these portraits will not only educate and inspire, but create space for real engagement, across classrooms, community forums, policy roundtables, and beyond.
This film is in direct conversation with our earlier film, Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power, a feature documentary that continues to have an enduring and growing impact. That film, now streaming on Amazon Prime and Kanopy, remains an essential lens on American democracy, following Barbara Lee’s decades-long fight for justice, equity, and peace. And in She Dared to Dream, we carry that movement forward by lifting up the next generation of leaders who are shaping our political future with that same moral clarity and unwavering resolve.
