Sonia
A film by Sarah Colt and Emily Schuman
About the project:
Sonia Pressman Fuentes’ life was saved multiple times before she turned six. She grew up knowing that she wanted to lead a life with purpose, but it wasn't until she was in her late 30s, while working to uphold the Civil Rights Act, that she discovered her calling. With the passion of a convert, Sonia was reborn as a feminist activist.
This captivating, character-driven documentary will explore the life of a pioneering feminist, attorney, and co founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Anchored by a sit-down interview from Sonia’s apartment in Sarasota, Florida, and a personal archive, which includes 21 indexed photo albums detailing her beginnings in Berlin, her childhood in the Catskills and Miami, her legal career, marriage, motherhood, divorce, and lifelong commitment to equality, the film will weave together Sonia’s remarkable life.
As Sonia faces her final chapter, she reflects on her history and her contribution. She wonders whether she will be remembered and grapples with the state of women's rights today. “I am now 96 years old,” she says, “and I have never stopped being involved in women's rights. That's who I am. My becoming a feminist is totally connected to my leaving Germany because I was Jewish. There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about the fact that I was saved and others weren't.”