Evoke
Eight inspiring and empowering films to watch this International Women’s Day
By Emma Costigan
March 8, 2025
In honour of International Women’s Day, we’ve rounded up eight films that are guaranteed to make you feel proud to be a woman.
Kick back, relax and grab yourself a cuppa and sink your teeth into one of these incredible movies.
Barbie
Directed by Barbie, the film follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) on a journey of self-discovery through Barbieland and the real world after an existential crisis.
There’s singing, there’s dancing, and America Ferrera’s empowering monologue. What’s not to love?
Hidden Figures
As Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughn. HIDDEN FIGURES is the incredible untold story of brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation?s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big
Hidden Figures is loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name. It follows three female African-American mathematicians (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe) who worked at NASA during the Space Race.
The First Wives Club
Firstly, The First Wives Club boasts a totally stellar cast. Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton? Sign us up!
The film follows three divorcées who seek retribution on their ex-husbands after leaving them for younger women.
Mona Lisa Smile
In 1953, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) introduces her students to modern art and encourages open and thought-provoking discussions about what art is.
She also challenges her students to achieve more in life than marriage and having a family.
Mulan
Sometimes a comfort animated film is all we need.
You’d be hard-pushed to find someone who doesn’t know the tale of Mulan; the brave title character, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father’s place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion.
Bend It Like Beckham
Bend It Like Beckham follows Jess Bhamra (Paraminder K. Nagra), a first-generation Indian immigrant living in the UK. She has a passion for football, and against challenging her strict parents’ cultural expectations, she joins a girls soccer team.
Frida
This film follows Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) as she navigates a tumultuous relationship with her husband Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), and overcoming her health problems.
It focuses on her outstanding professional achievements despite everything going on in her personal life.
The Help
The Help follows a young white woman and aspiring journalist Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan (Emma Stone) and her relationship with two black maids during the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi.
Striving to become a legitimate journalist, Skeeter writes a book from the point of view of Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), exposing the racism they face as they work for white families.
