'We Still Rise': London director tells story of her documentary on the anti-Trump Women's March

On Saturday 21 January, millions of people across the world made history by standing in peaceful protest just one day after Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Armed with pink hats and messages of solidarity, political banners and songs of girl power, the Women’s Marches were a visually stunning show of force to a President whose controversial comments about women have been well publicised.

Now a documentary aims to capture the defiant spirit of the landmark day, telling the story of how a personal crusade by one Hawaiian grandmother - who famously invited a group of friends to march across Washington - snowballed to become one of the biggest global demonstrations in living history.

‘We Still Rise’ interviews women from all walks of life, from those who organised marches in their cities to everyday women who mobilised across the planet.

The independent film, which is currently crowdfunding money via Indiegogo, comes from Polish documentary maker Dagmara Kodlubanski, who felt inspired to turn her footage from the day into a feature film, after witnessing the dedication and energy of the London organisers first-hand.

Here, she tells The Evening Standard how the project came about, her plans to bring the film to life, and why revisiting the story of the Women’s Marches is more vital now than ever before:

Why do you want to make a documentary about the Women’s March?

"A mutual friend mentioned to me that the London organisers were looking for some help with filming on the day. I met up with them on a couple of occasions before the day itself and was really impressed with how they were pulling it all together, with next to no budget and a shared pool of skills. Having witnessed the lead up to the event and the march itself, I was so inspired. I had just witnessed ordinary people create something so amazing, that completely captured the mood that many of us were feeling. It wasn’t until after the march that the idea of making it into a bigger documentary project even occurred to me. I wanted to help acknowledge how hard the organisers had worked, and to celebrate how incredibly successful the day was. I wanted to tell their story, and to hopefully inspire others."

The documentary will include lots of your footage on the ground at the London march. How would you describe the atmosphere on the day?

"The day was such a celebration. People were singing, chanting, drumming and dancing – it felt more like a festival than a march. Everyone looked after each other and celebrated together."

How did you go about gathering the women who talk in the documentary?

"Having been involved early on, I had the good fortune of already knowing some of the organisers from the start. They wanted their story to be told - not because they wanted individual recognition, but because they wanted people to know that they can make a difference too. Most of them had never organised any kind of protest, let alone a march of this scale before.

"The moment I spoke to one organiser they connected me with another, and then another, and then another; all around the world - from London to Geneva to Oslo to New York. It was like a daisy chain of introductions. So many who made this incredible day happen were able to tell their story."

There are many powerful moments from the day, but which one particularly sticks with you?

"There were so many moving stories I heard from the women themselves. One of the ones that stuck with me was hearing about how at a particular point mid-way through the march in London, one woman looked out at the marchers and realised that her daughter was not alone and would never be. She was amongst like-minded people who all felt the same way. For her, it was a relief to know that her daughter would grow up recognising that she must stand up for her rights."

Why do you think it’s important now more than ever that people donate to this film?

"It feels like every week we open the paper to another issue - from the white supremacists this week in Charlottesville, to police brutality and the threat of nuclear war. It can feel quite bleak. And not just in the US - these issues persist in places like India and Saudi Arabia, and even Australia where they are struggling with a vote for same-sex marriage; not to mention domestic violence laws being relaxed in Russia, and the problematic language around women’s reproductive health legislation globally.

With various rights around the world in crisis, it’s important to recognise the people who are standing up against injustice every day. More so because those who organised the day consider themselves ordinary - they aren’t celebrities or politicians with a platform. They’re yoga teachers, stay-at-home mums, business owners, lawyers, writers and retirees. Most of them have no experience in activism, yet these women managed to achieve something extraordinary and mobilised five million people worldwide.

When it feels like things are regressing, we need to be reminded that the fight continues, to not be disheartened, and to realise that ‘ordinary’ people really can make a huge difference.

You are planning to crowdfund the film on IndieGogo. What will the money achieve and when will people be able to watch the full documentary?

"We’re hoping to raise around £70,000 and every little bit towards is a great help. This would help us to source the very best archive footage, add some animation, license music and really deliver the documentary that this movement deserves.

We are currently in talks with several distributors and are looking to release the film in January 2018 on the anniversary of the March."

The team say that they are also hoping to take the documentary to Sundance Film Festival next year.

Donate to We Still Rise here