HerStory
Documentary series of the diaspora
Series
HerStory is a long-running documentary series produced by Osage Media in partnership with the Cyrus / Pars Foundation and aligned editorial counterparts. Each episode treats the life and witness of a woman whose work was decisive — and routinely written out — in the histories of her nation.
Episode I — La Panthère Noire
Subject. Her Imperial Highness Princess Ashraf Pahlavi (1919–2016). Twin sister of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In July 1946, Princess Ashraf travelled to Moscow and faced Joseph Stalin at the Kremlin in defence of Iranian sovereignty during the Iran crisis of 1946. She was called La Panthère Noire by the French press.
Status. Principal photography concluded May 2026. Post-production through May. Trailer publishes 7 June 2026 — the eighty-fourth anniversary of Maj. Gen. Clarence L. Tinker’s loss at sea in the closing hours of the Battle of Midway, 1942 — a date the two houses have chosen to share as the public anchor of the series.
Sources. Pahlavi Family Archive; Faces in a Mirror: Memoirs from Exile by Princess Ashraf Pahlavi (1980); Houchang E. Chehabi and colleagues, on the Pahlavi era; CYRUS NGO secretariat materials. The episode is produced under standing editorial controls of Osage Media and the Osage Institute.
In development
- Maria Tallchief. Wah-Zha-Zhe. America’s first prima ballerina; principal dancer of the New York City Ballet under Balanchine. Drawing on the Tallchief estate and the New York City Ballet archive.
- Mollie Burkhart Kyle. The Osage Reign of Terror, 1921–1925. The first murder investigation in the history of the federal Bureau of Investigation. Drawing on the U.S. National Archives, the Osage Nation tribal records, and David Grann’s primary research.
- The Tinker women. Daughters and granddaughters of the General; their service in the U.S. Air Force, in education, and in tribal governance through the post-war period.
Editorial posture
- Verify before publish. Every claim in the series is traced to at least one primary or near-primary source; the source list is published with the episode.
- Correction policy. Material corrections are appended dated. We do not silently edit the archive.
- Ceremonial protocol. Sacred materials, where they touch the series, are handled under perpetual confidentiality with the relevant tribal authority.
- Compensation. Living subjects and their estates receive standing compensation and editorial approval rights over portions touching their household.
Distribution
Episodes release through Osage Media’s direct channels and through partner editorial counterparts. Companion volumes (transcripts, source documents, and selected stills) are published by the Osage Foundation press and listed at osage.shop.
Engagement
Editorial inquiries: [email protected]. Press kit and stills: [email protected]. Submissions of candidate subjects: [email protected].