Filmmakers Salima Koroma, Alice Gu, and Cecilia Aldarondo teamed up to direct the Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, a three-part documentary film exploring the history Of Ms. Magazine.

Featured in the documentary are founding editors and contributors Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Pat Carbine, Suzanne Braun Levine, Jane O’Reilly, and Marcia Ann Gillespie, as well as Michelle Wallace, Dr. Lisa Coleman and actor Alan Alda.

Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print premiered at Tribeca Festival and debuts Wednesday, July 2 (9:00 p.m. – 10:50 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.

Ms. was an outlet to tackle taboo topics facing women and challenging the male-dominated media landscape by breaking barriers and amplifying female voices. Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print chronicles the groundbreaking articles that helped define and further the discourse, showcasing the bold cover stories that dared to put abortion, home life, workplace issues, and sexual politics front and center, bringing about new language in their dissection of the gender battleground. More than 50 years since its genesis, the magazine’s editors and contributors, including co-founders Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Pat Carbine, and first editor Suzanne Braun Levine, reveal the origin story of this trailblazing publication — how it defied the odds, transformed its readers, and continually fought to uphold its ideals in the face of resistance. The editors tirelessly wrestled with complex issues of sexuality, identity, and representation inside and outside the Ms. office and on the pages of the magazine, bravely grappling with backlash and learning and growing along the way. The film captures a time of revolution, resilience, and the fight for equality that still resonates.

Part One
“A Magazine for all Women” directed by Salima Koroma chronicles the origin story of Ms., and explores the iconic first issue that flew off newsstands, despite doubts from many in traditional media. As the magazine expanded to topics such as abortion and Shirley Chisholm’s presidential bid, it was well received by women hungry for in depth reporting, but it also received backlash and grappled with issues of race and representation on and off the pages of the magazine. When Marcia Ann Gillespie is recruited from Essence magazine to become editor in chief of Ms., she works to center women of color and reimagines what the magazine can be for all women.

Part Two
“Ms.: A Portable Friend” directed by Alice Gu lays bare the sexist cultural environment of the 1970s and explores the magazine’s response. Covers included a divisive “Men’s issue” in 1975, a controversial photo on the “battered wives” issue, and the 1977 cover depicting workplace sexual harassment. New language, coined and made popular by Ms. writers around such taboo subjects enabled discussion, action, and ultimately new laws.

Featured participants: Founding editors and contributors Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Pat Carbine, Suzanne Braun Levine, and Lindsy Van Gelder, and actor Alan Alda.

Part Three
“No Comment” directed by Cecilia Aldarondo details how the magazine critiqued female representation in advertising and mainstream media and explores the complex debate around sexual exploitation versus self-expression. Taking its focus from the 1978 cover story “Erotica and Pornography: Do you know the Difference?” it examines how the magazine had to navigate the many diverse factions within the women’s feminist movement itself.

Featured participants: Founding editors and contributors Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Robin Morgan, Ellen Sweet, and Lindsy Van Gelder, as well as Annie Sprinkle, Veronica Vera, Robin Leonardi, and Carole S. Vance.