Aisling Chin-Yee (No Ordinary Man, The Rest of Us, Plan B) is confirmed to have its world premiere at DOC NYC on Saturday, November 15. Sphere Abacus, handling global sales, will also be presenting the film to buyers at MIPCOM in October, while Paramount+ is set to release the film in Canada in early 2026.
“We are living in a time when women’s health and bodily autonomy are under renewed attack, making the urgency behind The Pink Pill greater than ever,” said Aisling Chin-Yee, director. “I am incredibly proud to be able to spotlight the stories of those who dared to challenge - and continue to challenge – the inequity and systemic bias of women's and gender diverse people’s needs, especially in something as fundamental as sexual health. We hope the film sparks an important conversation and creates a space for people to feel validated in their struggle for equitable healthcare."
The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control explores the fight to put women’s sexual health on equal footing in a medical system that has long overlooked their needs. At the center is entrepreneur Cindy Eckert, whose trademark pink and fearless determination made her a lightning rod in the battle to bring Addyi— which the media dubbed “female Viagra”—to market. Eckert confronted gender bias at the FDA head-on, ultimately winning approval in 2015 on the strength of science. Her victory, followed by a billion-dollar sale of Addyi, laid bare a double standard: while Viagra and more than twenty drugs for men were greenlit with ease, Eckert endured a decade of roadblocks, restrictions, and public attacks. The film expands beyond Eckert’s story to spotlight a new wave of doctors, scientists, and advocates challenging the medical establishment’s dismissal of female pleasure and demanding change, capturing a defining moment in the push for healthcare equality and bodily autonomy.
“We are incredibly passionate about this film and for what we believe it can do for women’s sexual health, in particular. Our goal is for it to become essential viewing for anyone who cares about healthcare and gender equality,” said executive producers Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder and Knix Founder and President Joanna Griffiths. “Aisling did a wonderful job in building trust with the entrepreneurs, doctors, and activists who do this work every day and who wanted to share the story and frustrations of all the people whose lives are most affected by lack of proper sexual healthcare. Education is key in reshaping views and policies, and our hope is for this film to reach audiences across the globe, starting at DOC NYC.”
The film marks the first project from Docs for Change, a collaboration between Catalyst, the Toronto-based studio for woman-identifying creators, and Knix Fund, a philanthropic arm of the game-changing intimates brand Knix. Producers Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder and Knix Founder and President Joanna Griffiths will participate in a DOC NYC Industry panel on November 17 to discuss film financing in today’s day and age, and share examples of international co-productions and atypical funding models, asking what new partnerships can
mean for creative freedom, financial stability, and the future vitality of nonfiction storytelling.
The Pink Pill: Sex, Drugs & Who Has Control is produced by Catalyst and Everywoman Studios, with Sphere Media providing production services and Sphere Abacus handling global distribution. Executive producers are Julie Bristow, Abby Greensfelder, Vibika Bianchi, Joanna Griffiths and Aisling Chin-Yee.
