THE WOODHULL is a bold historical short film about Victoria Woodhull — the first woman to run for President of the United States and one of the most provocative women of the 19th century.

Set in 1872, the film captures Woodhull at a moment of political and personal reckoning, after powerful men used religion, law, and public scandal to silence her. Brilliant, seductive, and defiant, Woodhull becomes the center of a battle over truth, censorship, morality, and power.

This is not a polite period piece.
It is a confrontation.

Through an intimate chamber-drama structure, THE WOODHULL is set in a single jail cell and strips away spectacle and places one woman face-to-face with the forces determined to erase her voice.

At its core, the film is about power — who holds it, who abuses it, and what happens when a woman refuses to surrender her own.

About the Film

THE WOODHULL is a proof of concept film short about Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for President of the United States — a woman too brilliant, too seductive, and too politically dangerous for her time.

Set in 1872, the film explores Woodhull’s confrontation with the forces of religion, law, censorship, and patriarchy after powerful men attempt to silence her voice. Told as an intimate chamber drama, THE WOODHULL is not simply a period piece — it is a provocation.

It is about politics.
It is about power.
It is about truth.
And it is about what happens when a woman refuses to disappear.

The film examines:

THE WOODHULL examines politics, power, hypocrisy, and freedom of speech through the story of Victoria Woodhull — a woman punished not because she lied, but because she told the truth too loudly.

The film explores how powerful men use law, religion, and public morality to protect their own authority while condemning the women who expose them. Inside a jail cell, Woodhull does not cower before that power. She challenges it.

At its core, the film is about the hypocrisy of a society that celebrates freedom while silencing women who dare to use it. Woodhull’s voice becomes the battleground and her refusal to surrender it becomes the film’s central act of defiance.

Production Details

Title: THE WOODHULL
Director: Victoria lynn Weston
Producer: Victoria lynn Weston / VIREON Films
Written by: Victoria lynn Weston
Setting: Atlanta, Georgia
Genre: Political Drama / Short Film
Cast: Adelle Drahous, Matthew Cornwll
Themes: Politics, spirituality, morality, powerful men, freedom of speech

Creative Vision

Weston’s creative vision for THROUGH THE GLASS is rooted in restraint, atmosphere, and the unseen. Rather than treating the supernatural as spectacle, the film creates tension through silence, sound, reflection, and the quiet intimacy of witnessing a soul in transition.

Inspired by Weston’s own out-of-body experience, glass becomes the film’s central visual metaphor — a barrier, a portal, and the fragile veil between life and death. The film is not a ghost story, but a spiritual drama about release, consciousness, and the possibility that love remains present at the threshold.

About Victoria lynn Weston

Victoria lynn Weston is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, producer, and director whose work often explores destiny, emotional reckoning, women’s stories, and the unseen forces that shape human experience. Her previous work includes the PBS-featured documentary America’s Victoria, Remembering Victoria Woodhull, the award-winning short Free Lover, and the short films Through the Glass, The Note and recently produced, THE WOODHULL.

With The Note, Weston continues her focus on intimate, emotionally charged storytelling and female-centered drama.

IMDb