Empowered is heading to Aotearoa
We are proud to announce that Empowered, our documentary series about six extraordinary yet down-to-earth women who are at the forefront of defining new boundaries and new opportunities, will celebrate its premiere in Aotearoa on Māori TV.
Six Empowered Women
Christina met a remarkable young woman in the middle of nowhere Alaska who was living in a remote fishing village inhabited by bears to run a fishing business. “She endures harsh weather and sea conditions to focus on environmental and sustainable hook-and-line fishing since Alaska is one of the last places on earth where wild salmon still thrive. She said she has learned a lot about herself and how important her work is to preserving our planet.”
In Germany, Christina filmed an episode that featured an astrophysicist who is working toward becoming the first German woman to leave Earth and explore space. “She is completely dedicated to learning more about what lies beyond what we know of the universe,” Christina remembers. “There are incredible barriers that must be overcome, and we captured them as well as her backstory, making her dream even more poignant.”
Christina tries to explain the energy at the Formula 3 racetrack in Sepang, Malaysia, where she met a Hungarian female driver who reveled in keeping up with her male competitors. “She’s making a lot of waves, Christina explains. She is willing to just jump in and go breakneck speed.” Even after flipping a car six times, she was dead set on making it back to the tracks. She won second place in her next race.
In Puerto Rico, Christina spent a great deal of time interviewing the first woman to play in the men’s baseball league. She also manages a girls’ softball team. “The kids clearly respected her,” she recalled, smiling at the memory. “She’s able to hit a baseball ball a lot further than some men, and her girls get so excited when she nails it. She has spent a lot of time using softball to teach them skills they can use away from the field.”
In Finland and Australia, Christina followed a Chinese/New Zealand orchestra conductor who had music in her soul. “Artists and musicians have strong emotions, but Tianyi is so masterfully calm and focused that it’s not surprising that she leads orchestras in concert halls all around the world. However, since she left China and grew up in New Zealand, the search for her identity is on full display when she conducts Dvorjak’s Symphony 9, “From the New World,” and I think it is what many immigrants can relate to. She is so incredibly talented.”
A pilot from Mumbai, India, discusses her challenge in defying cultural stereotypes. She is the youngest woman to command the largest single-engine jet in the world; she confided that she has at times struggled to gain the respect of her male peers,” Christina states. “She has shown exceptional courage in going through all of the training and getting her license so that she could take her place in the cockpit.
This series teaches women to take on challenges and will inspire anyone who’s ever been told they aren’t good enough. “I’m completely grateful to the Māori TV team for taking on Empowered. I’ve recently been lucky enough to watch Māori TV during my trip to Aotearoa and have very much enjoyed the diverse and varied programming,” Christina says. “This is truly yet another honor for the series and my thanks goes to the six women who have allowed me to film with them and share their story.”
For more information on Māori TV, please go here.
For more information on Empowered, please go here.
