Beginning in 1972, Norman and Judith Miller had a long-term interest in the role and status of women and in gender issues in cultures around the world. As part of the Faces of Change series, they produced five films on women and gender and five substantive teaching essays about women and gender in those cultures – Afghanistan, Bolivia, China, Kenya, and Taiwan (Links are to DER’s sales pages for each film). Two additional films were produced for international agencies (USAID, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) representing seven world cultures. Links to the full films are below.

Films about women in the Faces of Change series

Related teaching guides and study material can be found on the respective country pages of this website. [Note: Taiwan film currently unavailable.]

United Nations and USAID Films

“Women in a Changing World” (48 minutes). Producer Norman N. Miller. American Universities Field Staff Films and USAID, 1975.

The failure to raise living standards in most of the countries of the world has a severe impact on women. Many professions and occupations are still denied to women as are the rights to equal pay and working conditions. While in much of the world several of these problems are eased, much more remains to be done. To this end, “Women in a Changing World” examines the societal roles of women in developing countries around the world.

“The Forgotten Farmers: Women and Food Security”  (28 minutes). Producer Norman N. Miller. Rome: FAO of the United Nations, 1985.

In 1985, the FAO together with Norman Miller produced this documentary film to highlight the role of women in agriculture. Filmed in Kenya, Afghanistan, China, Taiwan, and Bolivia, it gives a vivid historical picture of agricultural women at work around the world. These women are the farmers we can no longer afford to forget. “The Forgotten Farmers” was  made as part of the UN Decade for Women, celebrated by many UN agencies.