First ladies
Director | Writer
October Films
Series Producer Jim Greayer
CNN
2 Episodes of 6-part series (2021)
“ The astonishingly detailed portraits in ‘First Ladies’ are distinguished in their scholarship, mesmerizing in their drama ”
Katharine wrote and directed films on Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton in this series about iconic First Ladies of the White House. Revealing how their achievements shaped American and global history, First Ladies is a bold revision of each woman’s traditional portrayal.
Over 12 years starting in 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt used her platform as First Lady to fight for civil rights and challenge the traditional, limited expectations of a woman’s role in the world. Location drama scenes enrich archival audio recordings, depicting Eleanor’s life from enriched childhood, her first all-female press conference, her radio broadcasting career, and the lesbian love affair that changed her life.
During the 1990s, Hillary Clinton was attacked for being too ambitious and too involved in her husband’s administration as First Lady. Through interviews with members of ‘Hillaryland’ – her close-knit West Wing staff – this film sheds new light on Hillary as a figure of generational change and female empowerment, marking her journey from one of only a handful of women students at Yale to first female presidential candidate.
