‘Girls State’ Trailer Teases the Follow-Up to ‘Boys State’!! Check It Out!!

In 2020, filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine delivered the acclaimed documentary Boys State, which reflected the flaws and hopes of representational government through a mock exercise involving a group of teen boys in Texas. Now, it’s time to let the girls run the world. The documentarians’ sibling title Girls State streams on April 5 and Apple TV+ released the official trailer that shows young women coming together in Missouri to tackle the greatest issues facing the country in an even more politically divided time.

Girls State offers a female perspective on the future of democracy, following 500 teenage girls in a week-long immersive exploration of the inner workings of government. Campaigning for and taking on positions of power as representatives, senators, supreme court justices, and the highest-ranking position of the experience, governor, they’re tasked with building their own system from the ground up. Along the way, they take into account divisive issues and feel the full weight of gender and racial inequality in government as they explore the often complex paths women are forced to take to reach positions of political power. It’s a lot to consider, but the trailer shows these high schoolers taking on the challenge with heart, humor, and a bit of teenage insecurity.

Ambition abounds throughout the footage as the girls push for positions of power and make friends with their fellow future political hopefuls. Yet, the program and the documentary are all about confronting the societal issues that make being a woman in politics so much harder. The girls still live in a world where a woman has yet to be president, female politicians are still expected to act and look a certain way, and the very event meant to prepare them for government favors their male counterparts. Despite the unfairness, Girls State will show its subjects making a compelling case of why they are the future of America.

‘Girls State’ Has Earned Widespread Praise Like Its Predecessor

Moss and McBaine had a lot to live up to after the success of Boys State. Upon its debut at Sundance in 2020, the film was lauded by critics and showered with awards, including the U.S. Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize at the festival, two Critics Choice Awards, and an Emmy win. Girls State followed a similar path, premiering at the 2024 edition of Sundance, where it garnered plenty of praise of its own. Collider‘s Taylor Gates gave the documentary a 9/10, saying “Not only is this documentary a microcosm of the country at large, reflecting real life in the way that charisma and the ability to fire up the masses can make all the difference when it comes to politics, but it also gives us a sense of what the future can look like.”

In addition to the filmmaking partners, the Apple Original Film also features an award-winning production team. It marks a team-up between Concordia Studio – the banner of Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth and Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie director Davis Guggenheim – and Mile End Films. Guggenheim also serves as an executive producer with Nicole Stott, Jonathan Silberberg, and Laurene Powell Jobs.