By Donna Zaccaro
Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way is a feature-length documentary about the life and legacy of the trailblazing woman who made history in 1984 as the first female Vice Presidential nominee on a major party ticket in the United States.
The film profiles Ferraro's life from an impoverished childhood, the struggles she endured while growing up, and the hurdles she faced and overcame both professionally and personally in order to achieve what no woman had done before.
The primary focus of the film is Ferraro's public service and political career, from District Attorney in Queens, NY, and later respected member of Congress, to the emotional night of her Vice Presidential nomination and acceptance speech, along with the tough campaign that followed. Though the Mondale-Ferraro ticket was defeated, the film explores how Ferraro's landmark nomination and her conduct during that campaign changed the national perception of what was possible for women.
The film features never-before-seen archival footage and stills, intimate interviews with Ferraro, and commentary by many leading political figures, both Democrat and Republican, as well as journalists who covered her campaign.
With insider access, former NBC Today producer Donna Zaccaro, created a revealing personal portrait of her mother, a woman who changed the face of American politics forever.
Among those interviewed and featured in the film are:
~ President and Mrs. George H. W. Bush
~ Vice President Walter Mondale
~ President Bill Clinton
~ Secretary Madeleine Albright
~ Secretary Hillary Clinton
~ Senator Barbara Mikulski
~ Senator Olympia Snowe
~ Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi
~ Cokie Roberts, reporter, NPR and ABC
~ Al Hunt, former reporter, Wall Street Journal
~ Ed Rollins, Republican campaign consultant
~ Eleanor Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation
Reviews
~ "IntriguingĄfascinatingĄthe film reminds us Ferraro's nomination was every bit the milestone." - Washington Post
~ "Ferraro's campaign eased America's long-running doubt that a woman could be accepted at that level of national leadership. She reset the bar at a place from which it couldn't be lowered." - New York Daily News
~ "Though Ferraro may have paved the way, 'Geraldine' reminds us how long and pitted the road can be." - Los Angeles Times
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