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A free screening of Women, Power and Politics: A Rising Tide? along with a special appearance by NOW special correspondent Maria Hinojosa will be offered by WGBY Sunday, November 9, at 7 p.m. at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA.

The event is sponsored by WGBY, Mt. Holyoke College, The Fledgling Fund, Smith College, and The Women’s Times.

The hour-long documentary examines why the U.S. ranks so low among countries for percentage of women holding national office in spite of the interest generated by political candidates Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton.

In her investigation Hinojosa talks to women leaders around the world and here in the United States for an intimate look at the high-stakes risks, triumphs and setbacks for women leaders of today and tomorrow.

Among these women are President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, the first woman leader in Latin America who did not have a husband precede her as president, and former New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen, now in a tight race for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Hinojosa also travels to Rwanda, where, 14 years after a horrific massacre left nearly one million people dead, women make up nearly half of parliament, and to Manhattan, where ambitious high-school girls are competing in a high-stakes debate tournament.

Women, Power and Politics also is about the personal journey of mother and award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa as she strives to answer the question, "What does to mean to be a woman in power?"

This marks the second time that Maria Hinojosa has worked with WGBY in offering a special presentation. The correspondent was in the area in April at Mt. Holyoke College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts for a presentation of Child Brides: Stolen Lives an investigative piece on early child marriages in developing countries.

WGBY (www.wgby.org), a community supported public broadcasting organization, connects the people of western New England to events, ideas and each other to fulfill their aspirations, enrich their lives and improve their communities. We do this through with PBS programming as well as locally produced series and specials. With our digital television channels, video on demand, podcasting and streaming video, WGBY is one of the region’s most accessible institutions, building a stronger community through learning and understanding.