In the spectacular film, “The Woman Who Loves Giraffes,” we meet Dr. Anne Innis Dagg as she re-traces the steps of her groundbreaking 1956 journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild. There, she discovers a startling contrast between the world of giraffes she once knew and the one it has become. Weaving through the past and present, her harrowing journey gives us an intimate look into the factors that destroyed her career and the forces that brought her back.

I first saw this film over the holidays at Laemmle, an independent theater in Claremont, CA and remember not wanting to leave my seat after the credits ran. In only 83 minutes, I had the privilege of witnessing the life of a woman so brave, so smart, so wise; no matter what came her way—from the death of her husband on the court of their weekly tennis match, not getting tenure and leaving her beloved academic position—she never let go of what she knew was right.

Decades later, I am not alone in believing that Dr. Dagg stands as a role model for all women. Many audience members around me were also wiping away tears of joy at the end of this film. I believe they, too, felt a sense of sisterly pride for the battle she fought so well. I decided then to encourage everyone I knew to experience this beautiful documentary.