Skip to main content
Play Video

WATCH TRAILER

A film by Ili Baré

"A potent and passionate documentary, profoundly relevant in these #MeToo, Trump and COVID-19 Times."

SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL

The world is crying out for a new model of leadership, but what is it? One woman thinks she has the answer. Australian CEO and ‘dreamer’ Fabian Dattner, leads an international group of 76 female scientists on an Antarctic voyage designed to transform them “into the sort of leaders they want to be.” Her hope is that once these women are primed to lead in science, they will be able to make meaningful change around the world. But on board Dattner’s own leadership style and philosophy are both severely tested, as the women’s deeply personal stories of workplace harassment and more are revealed. Set against the planet’s last untouched wilderness, The Leadership delivers an altogether unexpected and original reflection on what it takes to be a good leader, while unearthing the profoundly troubling systemic obstacles to women’s advancement in science and beyond.

Ice breakers

Risk takers

Change makers

The participants

Press

Margaret Pomeranz

“Incredibly beautiful, absolutely fascinating. 4 STARS”

Jake Wilson

“Aims to inspire yet gets more gripping the more things go wrong.”

Philippa Hawker

“Baré’s engrossing documentary shows in closely observed detail.”

Natasha Mitchell

Three of the film’s stars join Natasha for a MIFF Talks event.

Everybody wants

To change the world...

But what will it take?

What people are saying

"I’m so proud of The Leadership’s strong and powerful message to audiences: we must accelerate change by having more women leaders in STEMM to create a better future for the planet. That initial voyage was audacious, complex and without precedent. It was glorious and mightily challenging, and not always comfortable viewing. But it shows the leadership model that Homeward Bound believes the world needs: collaborative, inclusive and legacy minded, open to feedback, ready to listen, grow and change."

Fabian DattnerCEO, Homeward Bound

"The Leadership demonstrates in moving and gritty terms what leadership can entail... I would screen this film to my undergraduate classes, to my postgraduates, and to my colleagues in environment studies."

Elspeth ProbynProfessor in Gender and Cultural Studies

"The Leadership has a lot to tell us about the systemic inequality within the STEMM world, as well as the shocking events that plague women within the industry. The film also teaches us a lot about resilience, the power of sisterhood and that even the best leaders can make mistakes and need help from others. This film should be required viewing for not just the STEMM world, but every leadership course."

Mark DrummondCool Australia

The Leadership stimulates essential discussion around what systemic changes are necessary to facilitate participation and leadership of diverse women in STEMM; this is vital to tackle wicked social and environmental challenges around the world. The value in having women – and more broadly a host of diverse perspectives -- in scientific research is that it can shape what questions get asked and importantly how they are answered.”

Janelle WeissmanUN Women

"The Leadership is a rare insight into what the beginning of systemic change looks like. We are privileged to be able witness the courage of leaders that lean into discomfort, in service of a greater cause. We used this as a case study on McKinsey’s Executive Leadership Program and it gave our group rich stories to wrestle with and unique lessons in adaptive leadership."

Mike VierowMcKinsey

"The Leadership Documentary brought a new lens to the global conversation on women in leadership roles in science. We used the film to deliver an event for women in science in Australia which broke down the concept of Leadership through shared stories of failures, successes and bold actions towards an inclusive science sector."

Dr Melina GeorgousakisFounder, Franklin Women

The Filmmakers

Director | Writer | Co-producer

Ili Baré

Documentary filmmaker Ili Baré won the Eureka Prize for Science Communication and Journalism for her work on Becoming Superhuman (2017).

Documentary filmmaker Ili Baré won the Eureka Prize for Science Communication and Journalism for her work on Becoming Superhuman (2017) and the US Golden Cine Award for Environment and Science (2015) for her documentary The Secret Life of Breasts. Her documentary The Silent Epidemic won the ATOM Award for Best Documentary, Science, Technology and Environment, and the Mental Health Services Broadcast Award (Australia and NZ) in 2011.

Her television work has previously been reviewed as 'extraordinary ... powerful and potent, a real emotional revelation'; 'brave and essential viewing' and 'unforgettable'. The Leadership is her debut feature documentary.

Producer

Greer Simpkin

Greer Simpkin is an award-winning producer of film and television including the television drama series Mystery Road (series 1 and 2) and the feature films Sweet Country and Goldstone.

Greer Simpkin is an award-winning producer of film and television including the television drama series Mystery Road (series 1 and 2) and the feature films Sweet Country and Goldstone.  Greer was an Executive Producer on the feature film Jasper Jones and a producer on the feature film, High Ground, which premiered at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. She is currently producing Ivan Sen’s Loveland and Leah Purcell’s The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson.

Greer has produced a number of documentaries including the feature documentary Sanctuary, the television documentaries The Troublesome Priest & Blue Water Empire for the ABC and the VR film Every King Tide for SBS.

Greer has previously held roles in public broadcasters. She was Deputy Head of Fiction at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for 5 years and a Programme Finance Executive at Channel 4 in the UK.

Co-producer

Lauren Mather

Lauren Mather is Head of Production where she has overseen the Bunya factual slate including Blue Water Empire, Sanctuary, The Leadership and Every King Tide.

Lauren Mather joined Bunya Productions in 2016 as Head of Production where she has overseen the Bunya factual slate including the drama/doc series Blue Water Empire, the feature documentaries Sanctuary and The Leadership and the VR film Every King Tide. Lauren began her media career in the Marketing and Publicity department at ABC Television before moving to the Drama & Narrative Comedy Unit, supporting a number of Executive Producers on an award-winning slate of commissioned series, web series and telemovies. Lauren has also worked as an Associate Agent at esteemed talent agency Cameron’s Management and has practised law in New South Wales.

Executive Producer

David Jowsey

David Jowsey has had an extensive career as a film and television producer. He has produced Mad Bastards, Toomelah, Satellite Boy, Mystery Road, Goldstone, Jasper Jones and Sweet Country.

David Jowsey has had an extensive career as a film and television producer. He has produced the feature films Mad Bastards, Toomelah, Satellite Boy, Mystery Road, Goldstone, Jasper Jones and Sweet Country. Each of these films premiered at one of the big four film festivals including Toomelah at Cannes, Satellite Boy at Berlin and Mad Bastards at Sundance.

Sweet Country directed by Warwick Thornton premiered at the 2017 Venice Film Festival winning the Special Jury Prize. The film then screened in Platform at the Toronto Film Festival where it won the Platform Prize.

David more recently produced both series of the award winning television drama Mystery Road as well as the feature film High Ground, starring Simon Baker, which screened in a Gala Presentation at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. He is currently producing Leah Purcell’s The Drover’s Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson and Ivan Sen’s Loveland.

We'd love to hear from you.