Plot Synopsis

Filmed in conflict zones in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, and Liberia, this series focuses on the under-reported stories of the women who are changing the rules of engagement in conflict hotspots all over the world, reframing our understanding of modern warfare. Among the women spotlighted are: Afghan women's rights activists who are risking their lives to make sure that women have a seat at the table in peace talks with the Taliban; the courageous Bosnian women who broke history's great silence and testified about their rape and sexual enslavement, leading to a historic court victory; two extraordinary Colombian women who are braving death threats to remain on the gold-rich land that has sustained their community for centuries; and a group of Liberian women, led by activist Leymah Gbowee, who faced down the killers and brought peace to their country.
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WOMEN, WAR & PEACE returned for its four-episode second season from 9-11pm (check local listings) on Monday, March 25 and Tuesday, March 26, 2019, as PBS debuted back-to-back new episodes on consecutive nights. Season 2 demonstrates how some of the biggest international stories of recent memory are shaped by women. An all-female cast of directors present four never-before-told stories about the women who risked their lives for peace, changing history in the process. The first two films look at two movements: one in Northern Ireland, the other in Palestine, in the late twentieth century, and the second two films of contemporary women activists and organizers chart the path forward for international peacebuilding and security.

"Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs" (directed by Eimhear O'Neill; premiered Monday, March 25, 2019 @ 9pm): This installment follows the all-female political party in Northern Ireland, where years of violent strife compel a group of Catholic and Protestant women to demand a seat at the negotiating table for the Good Friday Agreement -- a deal that stands to this day.

"The Trials of Spring" (directed by Gini Reticker; premiered Monday, March 25, 2019 @ 10pm): In Egypt in 2011, the euphoria of the Arab Spring quickly runs into headwinds. This documentary follows the journeys of three Egyptian women as they fight for the goals of the popular movement: "bread, freedom and social justice" for all. But caught between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood, the women soon find themselves being pushed backwards.

"Naila and the Uprising" (directed by Julia Bacha; premiered Tuesday, March 26, 2019 @ 9pm): In 1980s Gaza, a non-violent women's movement formed the heart of the Palestinian struggle for freedom. The film revolves around the tragic and remarkable story of Naila Ayesh, a student organizer and activist who joins a secret network of women in a movement that brings together the disparate organizations protesting Israeli occupation.

"A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers" (directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy; premiered Tuesday, March 26, 2019 @ 10pm): This film follows one of the world's few all-female peacekeeping units. As 160 Bangladeshi women embark on a UN peacekeeping mission to Haiti following the devastating 2011 earthquake, they confront extreme poverty and devastated healthcare systems in their effort to build peace.