Filmmaker: Jan Millsapps
Year of Completion: 2018
TRT: 32 mins
Country of Origin: U.S.A.

As a new space age dawns, have women come far enough to go farther than they ever have before?

Madame Mars: Women and the Quest for Worlds Beyond reframes the story of space exploration as a feminist issue, connecting the original space age that denied opportunities to women to current Mars initiatives that still lack a full commitment to diversity. The powerful narrative taps into public enthusiasm over proposed human missions to the red planet and argues for a more inclusive spacefaring future.

Dr. Jan Millsapps spent four years finding and amplifying the stories of women who have worked in the shadows of more prominent and visible men – female engineers, scientists, coders, doctors, technicians – and of aspiring Martians, women preparing today to live and work on Mars. Madame Mars is populated by accomplished, intelligent and curious women who not only share the dream of finding one’s own place in space, but also a commitment to the ensuring that humanity will represent itself accurately and completely as we take our next big step out into the universe.