IWD might be over for another year but we have no intentions of stopping celebrating epic women every single day – and on that note, we’re very excited about a couple of new shows feat. amazing women in sport heading to our screens in coming months (just in time for cosy curled-up-on-the-couch binge nights, amirite?).
Matildas making history
Yep, our TVs are set to be flooded with amazing women doing all sorts of incredible things in sports world. First up, we’ve got Disney+ coming at us with the Matildas: The World At Our Feet – a six-part Aussie exclusive series that follows our elite soccer stars on their journey towards the FIFA World Cup.
“It’s been an incredible experience sharing our journeys with Disney+, both on the field and off, and I can’t wait for the world to see our true love, dedication and passion for the game and our country,” says Sam Kerr, Captain of the CommBank Matildas.
And yes, we’ll get a hearty helping of that dedication and passion, along with real insight into the struggles and sacrifices these phenomenal sportswomen have been through to reach their World Cup dream.
Packed with all the action and emotion from behind the scenes, the new doco gives viewers unprecedented access to all our Matildas faves, from global superstar Kerr to Ellie Carpenter, Mary Fowler and more on their World Cup journey. And did we mention it’s directed by a former elite athlete, too?
“Showcasing diversity, inclusion, mateship, resilience and the importance of role models, the series offers an intimate look into the players’ lives and how they continue to challenge the status quo,” says series director Katie Bender Wynn, who was a professional gymnast, then a freestyle aerial skier who trained on the Australian Aerial Ski team, before bringing her love of sport and film together.
“I’m so proud to be able to share this incredible story of our treasured national women’s team and its players.”
Matildas: The World at Our Feet will premiere with all six episodes on 26 April, 2023, on Disney+.
Go speed racer
Obviously one gals-in-sport show isn’t even close to enough, which is why we’re super pumped for Stan’s latest offering, too. The local streaming service has announced the commission of the Stan Original documentary Revealed: Renee Gracie, which follows the former Supercars driver’s journey as she attempts to re-enter V8 racing as a wildcard in the Repco Bathurst 1000.
ICYMI, Gracie became the first female to compete in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup at just 18, before she began professionally racing V8s in Supercars. She was the first full-time female competitor in the category in fourteen years, but retired in 2017 due to her struggle to find her place in a male-dominated sport.
“When I left Supercars, just mentally I was drained, I was so unhappy,” she told Speedcafe.com.
“I hated the way I was getting treated, I hated the way people spoke about me, talked about me, just internally when I left I wasn’t in a great space mentally.”
But now, friends, she’s back – and the doco following her journey back into racing just so happens to be an all-female affair, too, with Frances Elliott and Samantha Marlowe writing and directing, and Cody Greenwood producing.
We don’t have an air date yet, as it’s still early days – Revealed: Renee Gracie will commence production this year – but you can bet we’ll be marking our calendars as soon as a premiere date drops!
