Showtime Sunday will be made up of Noteworthy Women’s selection of films that include strong female roles either on camera or behind the scenes, and in this particular case, this film has both. Released in 2008, Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a documentary that focuses on the struggles and issues that occurred in Liberia through the course of the Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003). One of the reasons why this film is so extraordinary is because of the inspirational women that made this film a possibility. Not only was the film directed and produced by women, the story itself highlights the efforts of the “Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace”.

The director of this eye-opening film is Gini Reticker.   Much of her career involved making films that have a focus on women and their involvement in efforts for social justice and human rights. You can read a quick description of her previous work and recognition here.

The producer of the film is Abigail E. Disney, she is a filmmaker who is also quite familiar with making films that focus on the same category of social justice issues.  Abigail is not only a recognized producer and director she has the honor of being an alumna of Yale, Stanford, and Colombia.

Together these women are the co-founders of Fork Films ” a New York-based production company that seeks to shed light, evoke compassion, stir action and build peace. She is the President and CEO, and Reticker is the Chief Creative Officer.” (Fork Films About Page)

As stated before, the film revolves around the social justice group Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. This group was organized under the leadership of many influential African women, among them is Leymah Gbowee, a recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. Under her leadership, women in Liberia gathered in a sequence of peaceful protests that aimed to end the civil war. One of the most meaningful aspects of this movement was that the women that gathered came from different religions, something that in other cases would have made the cause more difficult to achieve. These women became a part of something that wanted peace as an end. Thousands of both Muslim and Christian women would go out and risk their lives by protesting and organizing sit-ins outside the Presidential Palace. While their country was being overrun by violence and fear, these women were able to support and encourage each other in a manner that lifted their voices higher than the noises of the war. They were able to fight violence with peace and ultimately created the beginning to a Liberia more empowered by women. Their efforts went so far that Liberia is currently under the Presidency of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, their first female President.

Noteworthy Women encourages our readers to go out and look for pieces such as Pray the Devil Back to Hell in order to be more aware of the struggles and accomplishments of spectacular women around the world! If you would like to know a little more about the film you can access a quick trailer or visit the official film website to find out where you can stream the entire film.