Welcome to Independent Lens.
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
With election day right around the corner,
we bring you some political drama.
Tonight, we showcase three candidates,
all women running for various political office
in the film "Represent."
This film follows Myya Jones,
who at just 22 at the time of filming,
tries to spark a youth movement in her run for mayor of Detroit.
Bryn Bird is a working mother and progressive,
running in a rural area for township trustee
in a male-dominated government.
And Julie Cho, who walks a tightrope
in her identities as a Korean immigrant,
woman of color and a Republican,
running for State Rep in a liberal Chicago suburb.
The common underlying goal for these candidates
is to bring positive change to their communities
through public service.
The film showcases the systemic failings
and entrenched political systems
as these women fight to reshape local politics.
Director Hillary Bachelder says she hopes the film
will encourage other women to run for office.
For the Chicago based filmmaker,
this is her first feature-length effort.
What Batchelder responded to in her three subjects
was their earnestness, that they are all trying to win election
and represent on their own terms.
This is not the director's first time
working with three leading ladies.
Her first film was "Embodies,"
a documentary that followed three women
and the complicated relationships with their bodies.
From the human body to the body politic,
Hillary Batchedler's "Represent" starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.