Live from TEDWomen

Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks with TEDWomen curator Whitney Pennington-Rodgers at Session 6 of TEDWomen 2021: What Now? on December 3, 2021 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)

Lilly Singh speaks at TEDWomen 2021: What Now? on December 2, 2021 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo: Marla Aufmuth / TED)

Sex educator and podcaster Kaz speaks at TEDWomen 2021: What Now? on December 2, 2021 in Palm Springs, California. (Photo: Gilberto Tadday / TED)

TEDWomen 2019 explored topics ranging from immigration to climate change, from menopause to sexism and beyond. To interweave dazzling talks and introduce sessions, curators CC Hutten and Jonathan Wells handpicked a series of short videos that complemented the themes and narratives that ran throughout the conference. Their selections highlighted the ideas shared, offered viewers a fresh perspective or provided levity and humor following a somber moment. But what these videos all had in common? Top notch art.

Between the amazing speakers of TEDWomen, there’s a carefully programmed mini film festival — brilliant short films, curated by Jonathan Wells and Anyssa Samari, that set (or re-set) the mood in the theater, and celebrate the creativity of women and men around the world. Here’s what played, session by session: