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Logline

Pearlette, Tammy and Terry are Three (Extra)Ordinary Women of color who collectively have overcome poverty, abuse, systemic racism, and political occupation. The film will explore their life stories and how the parallels between the Palestinian occupation and Jim Crow in the United States have equally disenfranchised people of color. Braving their biggest physical obstacle yet – climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro– will show women of color can accomplish anything.

Synopsis

The feature documentary and social impact film, Three (Extra)Ordinary Women, tells the story of three middle-age women of color who were brought together through friendship and a desire to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro! Taghrid (Terry), a Palestinian American, Tammy an African American, and Pearlette, an Afro Latina, are determined to push themselves to any extreme necessary to change the mainstream narrative by example—and prove that women can do anything they set their minds to. Each woman endured childhood trauma and poverty which gave birth to a fierce resilience they’ve used to claim their power and place in creating social change. Theirs are but three examples of how gender inequality and systemic racism in the United States continues to disenfranchise people of color. The spirit and tenacity of each woman will be used as a creative catalyst for transforming feelings of worthlessness and doubt into leading with courage and confidence.

These women have dedicated their lives to breaking cycles of female disenfranchisement in the US and abroad. Climbing “Kili” presents a powerful metaphor for overcoming difficulties in life. By embracing their most authentic selves, in the dogged pursuit of their dreams and passions, the documentary will demonstrate how each woman is ‘cut from the same cloth’—the same cloth that all women have weaved into the essence of their being: The power to define their own destinies, transform their lives and change their communities.

The three women model what is possible for others who have experienced trauma as they candidly share their pain and pathway to overcoming, giving back and creating social change as they reflect on, “What is my personal Kilimanjaro?” and “What is our Kilimanjaro?”–to spur inner reflection and community dialogue on overcoming challenging personal and gender and racial discrimination.

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Meet the Filmmakers

Cionin Lorenzo – Director

Cionin started her career at MTV Networks where for over 15 years she worked with numerous artists and celebrities for various programs, including as Director of two short documentaries on Shakira, and was one of the Directors of MTV Cribs for 5 years. As Supervising Producer, she oversaw a team of 40+ on the spin-off Teen Cribs. Recently, she was the story producer of the 2019 Imagen Award winning PBS Great Performances documentary John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway, and a Co-Producer on the feature documentary Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage for the PBS American Masters series. She is currently directing two feature documentary films and has a slate of digital projects she is developing and consulting on that touch upon climate change, disabilities, and the arts.

Pearlette Ramos – Executive Producer

Dr. Pearlette J. Ramos is a transformational leader, lawyer, social justice and DEI advocate, and travel influencer. She co-leads a non-profit, Sisters Talk About Race, that brings women from a wide range of backgrounds together to give of their time, attention, and resources to ending systemic racism and changing the world through open-hearted conversations and inspired action. She also mentors law school students, facilitates women leadership development workshops and volunteers with various nonprofit groups and philanthropic organizations. Recently, she published her first book, The Travel Coach and Journal, which explores the transformative power of travel and encourages readers to stretch, learn and grow through engaging with nature and the world. Dr. Ramos, who worked for several years as a commercial litigator and in-house counsel, received her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her doctorate in Psychology from Saybrook University.

Nick Kalisz – Director of Photography

Nick Kalisz is an award-winning filmmaker based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is the founder of Field Day Studio-a creative studio that focuses on the outdoors/adventures and how we as humans interact with these moments. Nick and his team have helped produce multiple projects from Nepal to Mongolia and Africa to Greenland. Nick’s most recent accomplishment was summiting Lhotse-the 4th tallest mountain in the world and filming the first ever skied descent of the Lhotse Couloir.

Steve Vanderheide – Cinematographer

Steve Vanderheide is a passionate filmmaker who has been producing award-winning documentaries, short films and branded content professionally for 15 years. He has traveled the globe, working with a full range of clients, from non-profits to to Fortune 500 companies. Based out of Denver, Colorado, Steve has summited 21 of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.