Eleventh Annual Collection

Burning Barriers




8:16 min
Documentary
Producer: Tribeca Film Institute/ Summer Arts Program

ABOUT THE FILM

Many people consider the word Firefighter synonymous with Fireman. Most see no reason not to regard the two as equivalent. But hidden throughout in New York City lies the counter-argument. Reacting to the discovery during our research of the social injustices that female firefighters had to face, our team set out to find the women who dared to go against the norm and to tell their story. As we began to meet these workplace pioneers, a story of courage and persistence in the face of prejudice started to blossom. What we uncovered was surprising, perturbing, but for the most part, exhilarating. Female firefighters have been protecting homes and saving lives for thirty years but continue to remain in the shadows of their male colleagues. BURNING BARRIERS aims to highlight the struggle of these brave women to gain acceptance inside the firehouse as well as in their communities and families. As filmmakers, we were able to bring some attention to an important and troubling issue: the history of gender discrimination and its ongoing role in women’s lives.

RELATED CATEGORIES

Media That Matters 11, gender / women, youth
Creative Commons License: Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works