Beyond the Powder: The Legacy of the First Women's Cross-Country Air Race

Beyond the Powder: The Legacy of the First Women's Cross-Country Air Race

The history of the first women’s cross-country air race and the legacy today.

2015 · 57 min · Documentary

The first Women’s Air Derby was flown in 1929 with brave women making history by breaking into a competition that was thought to be for men only. They encountered sabotage, death, and all the difficulties of flying at the dawn of aviation. Today the Powder Puff Derby continues as the Air Race Classic. The modern-day racers carry out the legacy of the original racers with their adventurous spirit.

Directed by Kara Martinelli White · Written by Angelica Compton

Your Rating

Cast

Michaela McManus Self - Narrator (voice)
Liz Duchez Powder Puff Derby Reenactor

Make it a double feature

3h 19m together

Beyond the Powder: The Legacy of the First Women's Cross-Country Air Race

Cherry

Both from Kara Martinelli White.

More from Kara Martinelli WhiteSee all →

Cherry

MovieDramaCrime

Cherry drifts from college dropout to army medic in Iraq—anchored only by his one true love, Emily. But after returning from the war with PTSD, his life spirals into drugs and crime as he struggles to find his place in the world.

Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah · 2021

Judas and the Black Messiah

MovieDramaHistory

Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panthers on the orders of FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton ascends—falling for a fellow revolutionary en route—a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul.

Native Son

Native Son · 2019

A young black man named Bigger Thomas takes a job working for a highly influential Chicago family, a decision that will change the course of his life forever.

Dog Eat Dog

Dog Eat Dog · 2016

MovieDramaCrime

Ex-cons Troy, Mad Dog, and Diesel are hired by an eccentric mob boss to kidnap a baby and hold it for a large ransom. When the abduction goes awry, the men find themselves on the run from the mob and the cops. Vowing to stay out of prison at all costs, getting away with the crime is a matter of life and death.

Before America

Before America · 2026

MovieDocumentaryHistory

Before America is a cinematic documentary uncovering the Indigenous histories of Michigan long before the United States existed. From the 1763 uprising at Fort Michilimackinac to Odawa trail trees and the overlooked women of Fort Detroit, the film reveals how Anishinaabe nations shaped Great Lakes history and helped spark the chain of events that ultimately pushed the American colonies.

Photography

Photography · 2026

In 1964 Manhattan, Margaret is a big-time world-traveling photographer. Having fought for every success she’s had, Margaret is now tasked with mentoring a new, younger photographer. Will she help this new threat to her career thrive, or will she protect what was so hard to gain? "Photography" is a short film created through the Tri-C Intensive Film Workshop, designed to ready students for working in the film industry.

The Resistance

MovieDramaHorror

The time is WWII in Nazi-occupied France. Trained by Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) spy division, a trained British female spy and her fellow agents use a small cafe as their headquarters. Their cafe becomes a trap as a Nazi officer begins to suspect who they really are.

Witness to Revolution: One Doctor's Story of the Xinhai Revolution

Witness to Revolution: One Doctor's Story of the Xinhai Revolution

Witness to Revolution: One Doctor's Story of the Xinhai Revolution

Journey to early 20th century China through the eyes of an intrepid medical missionary. As the Xinhai Revolution erupts, we see history unfold through his vivid diaries and stunning photographs. This gripping documentary captures a world on the brink of transformation, blending frontline battlefield images with intimate accounts of medical and spiritual work. Experience the twilight of imperialism and the birth of modern China through one man's extraordinary lens and pen. A riveting tale of compassion, courage, and change in a land awakening to a new era.

More Like This

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations · 1938

Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations

MovieDocumentary

Starting with a long and lyrical overture, evoking the origins of the Olympic Games in ancient Greece, Riefenstahl covers twenty-one athletic events in the first half of this two-part love letter to the human body and spirit, culminating with the marathon, where Jesse Owens became the first track and field athlete to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty · 1938

Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty

MovieDocumentary

Part two of Leni Riefenstahl's monumental examination of the 1938 Olympic Games, the cameras leave the main stadium and venture into the many halls and fields deployed for such sports as fencing, polo, cycling, and the modern pentathlon, which was won by American Glenn Morris.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter