Regina King stars as Shirley Chisholm in the new Netflix biopic drama written and directed by John Ridley. The film follows Shirley Chisholm’s trailblazing run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 following her historical win becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress. Lance Reddick, Terrence Howard, Lucas Hedges, Michael Cherrie, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, André Holland, Dorian Missick, Reina King, Amirah Vann, and W. Earl Brown make up the ensemble cast. After you watch Shirley, now streaming on Netflix, here are 7 films to watch next about women making history.
Call Jane (2022)
Cast: Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara, Wunmi Mosaku, Cory Michael Smith, Grace Edwards, Kristina Harrison, Rebecca Henderson, Aida Turturro, Evangeline Young, John Magaro, Geoffrey Cantor, Alison Jaye
Synopsis: “A married woman with an unwanted pregnancy lives in a time in America when she can’t get a legal abortion and works with a group of suburban women to find help.”
Where to watch: Hulu
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Cast: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin, Dawn Didawick, Valente Rodriguez, Conchata Ferrell, Aaron Eckhart, Scotty Leavenworth
Synopsis: “An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city’s water supply.”
Where to watch: Netflix
The Glorias (2020)
Cast: Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Janelle Monáe, Lulu Wilson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Gloria Steinem, Timothy Hutton, Enid Graham, Olivia Olson
Synopsis: “The story of feminist icon Gloria Steinem’s itinerant childhood and its influence on her life as a writer, activist and organizer for women’s rights worldwide.”
Where to watch: Peacock
Hidden Figures (2016)
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe,Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell, Kimberly Quinn, Lidya Jewett, Saniyya Sidney, Donna Biscoe
Synopsis: “The story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.”
Where to watch: ABC, FX Now
Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
Cast: Hilary Swank, Margo Martindale, Anjelica Huston, Frances O’Connor, Lois Smith, Vera Farmiga, Brooke Smith, Adilah Barnes, Laura Fraser
Synopsis: “A little known, yet integral piece of American history: based on the lives of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two young radical women who were instrumental in getting women the right to vote in America.”
Where to watch: Max
The Iron Lady (2011)
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Iain Glen, Alexandra Roach, Olivia Colman, Susan Brown, Alice da Cunha
Synopsis: “An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.”
Where to watch: Peacock
Suffragette (2015)
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Geoff Bell, Amanda Lawrence, Romola Garai, Adam Nagaitis, Samuel West, Finbar Lynch, Ben Whishaw
Synopsis: “In 1912 London, a young working mother is galvanized into radical political activism supporting the right for women to vote, and is willing to meet violence with violence to achieve this end.”
Where to watch: Prime Video
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Amber Dover is a multimedia journalist with over a decade writing about pop culture. Cat mom with a deep love of horror, you can follow Amber at @Glambergirlblog on Instagram and X.