By Elle Wood

CAMBRIDGE, Md. — Because films tell stories in a different way than books, the 2019 film “Harriet” can offer a new look at the legacy of a famous advocate for freedom, the Eastern Shore’s Harriet Tubman.

The movie was written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, also known for portraying Ardelia Mapp in “The Silence of the Lambs” in 1991.

“Harriet” tells of the life of Ms. Tubman as she escaped from slavery and led many others to freedom, and Ms. Lemmons wanted to use the film as a way to teach viewers about her in a new light.

“I really wanted to show Harriet as she was as a young woman, when she was doing her most heroic work,” the director said. “I wanted to bring Harriet to a new audience.

“I feel like, in some ways, our African American leaders get declawed.”

Ms. Lemmons said she grew fascinated with the Tubman story, which led her to create a piece that can leave the audience encouraged.

“I was so inspired by her, and I wanted to share that with an audience, to remind us of what one tiny woman — who could not read or write, who was born enslaved — could do,” she said. “This is a human being, 5 feet tall — when we think of what she can do, we think of what we are able to do.

“When we access these incredible stories, maybe we inspire ourselves.”

Unlike her other films, Ms. Lemmons said she wanted to create a work that could resonate with individuals of any age or background.

“I wanted children to be able to bring their grandparents and have them both feel inspired by it,” she said. “I love it when an older woman comes up to me in the supermarket and says, ‘I saw your film 20 times,’ or when a young person comes up to me and tells me how much they loved it.

“It’s the first film I ever made for a broad audience.”

During her time writing and directing “Harriet,” she learned more about her heroine, as well as many other aspects of life. It was an experience she said she will never forget.

“We had five historians that we worked with: agricultural historians, Civil War historians and Harriet Tubman scholars,” said Ms. Lemmons. “We had to talk to people who know this stuff.

“That learning process is something that happens in almost every film, and it’s something I really cherish.”

While there is a variety of educational tools to learn about history, Ms. Lemmons said movies can offer a whole new way of learning.

“Film is our greatest way of experiencing other cultures,” she said. “I mean, what’s a more powerful way to experience other cultures, other perspectives, than through storytellers?

“Film is the most beautiful way of sightseeing to me.”

Ms. Lemmons hopes her movie is an instrumental step toward learning even more about the Tubman background.

“There is tremendous learning that can happen when you can bring people to a moment they were never a part of and make them feel,” she said. “That is very powerful.”

“Harriet” can be streamed on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.