Free the Girls | Woman Warriors
Promo Film
Client: Free the Girls
Production Company: Arché Studio
Producer: Van Dinh
Director: Tanya Martineau
Writer: Emma LeMay
Survivor Consultant: Jean Nangwala
In-country producer: Isabel Imery
DP: Gabriel Serra Arguello
AC/Gaffer: Camilo Henriquez
Editor: Andres Vazquez
Assistant Editor: Frankie Tejeda
The Film
Woman Warriors is a scripted docu-drama inspired by the real experiences of women rebuilding their lives in El Salvador. Developed in partnership with Free The Girls, the film promotes the organization’s work creating sustainable income opportunities for survivors of exploitation.
To ensure accuracy and integrity, we hired a survivor consultant to help shape the script and narrative framework. We also gathered firsthand stories from women participating in the program so the film reflects lived realities on the ground. While the characters are composite portrayals, the circumstances, challenges, and economic pathways represented in the film are drawn directly from those interviews.
The story centers on women generating income through market-based microenterprise — specifically reselling donated bras in local communities — as a practical pathway toward financial independence. Rather than dramatizing trauma, the film focuses on forward movement: entrepreneurship, community support, and the daily decisions required to build stability.
Our Approach
We approached the project with cultural sensitivity and narrative discipline. The scripted format allowed for clarity and cohesion, while grounding every scene in documented experience. The goal was not to sensationalize exploitation, but to communicate the tangible impact of economic opportunity — and to position survivors not as victims, but as active agents shaping their futures.