The Empowerment Project, a 54-minute documentary about “ordinary women doing extraordinary things” will be shown at 6 p.m., Saturday, May 30, in the River Raisin Centre for the Arts on S. Monroe St., Monroe.  It is the first time the documentary has been shown in Michigan.

     The showing, which also includes a live question-and-answer time with the film’s two directors, is presented by Waterloo Elementary School and sponsored by the Monroe office of Old National Bank.

     “People in Monroe County are fortunate to have the opportunity to see this life-changing documentary,” said Waterloo Elementary School Principal Lisa McLaughlin, who led the efforts to bring the documentary and two of its directors to Monroe.  “Although the film is about women making a difference and is meant to be an inspiration to girls, there is something in the film for everyone.”

     Mrs. McLaughlin said that having the two filmmakers, Sarah Moshman and Debra Michelle Cook, in Monroe to speak with the audience after the documentary and to participate in discussions, makes the upcoming event even more memorable. 

     Student tickets are $2 and adult tickets are $5.  They are available in advance by stopping at Waterloo Elementary School, 1933 S. Custer Rd., or the Monroe Public Schools Administration Building at 1275 N. Macomb St.  They also can be purchased at the door, if they still are available. 

     Disappointed by the way the media portrayed women, in 2012 filmmakers Moshman and Cook and three fellow female filmmakers embarked on a 7,000-mile one-month trek across the U.S. from Los Angeles to New York City.  On their journey, they found women who had been successful, and then talked to them about how they had achieved success in their lives.  Their central question:  “What would you have done if you were not afraid to fail?”

     Over that time period they interviewed 17 different women, including an astronaut, a beauty pageant queen, a Navy four-star admiral, the founder of Girls on the Run, an architect, a pilot, a chef and a pro athlete, among others. 

     The fruits of their labors?  This documentary video and a sense of tremendous accomplishment.

     “The mission of this film is simple – girls of ANY age can do and be anything they may want.  We have only the limits we put on ourselves and if we start to support each other and showcase some strong female role models then I believe girls will truly know they are empowered and that we can start to change the conversation,” Ms. Moshman said.