WMM and Jacob Burns Film Center have joined together to offer the inaugural JBFC/WMM Artist-in-Residency prize to the Best Project presented by a Woman Director at DocsBarcelona. We are very pleased to be collaborating with the wonderful Jacob Burns Film Center in acknowledgment of DocsBarcelona’s ongoing commitment to gender equity. The award will come with a 4-6 week residency at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY, access to editing suits, and honorarium as well as acceptance into the WMM Production Assistance Program with all of its benefits including mentorship and a 1-year s ..read more

Women Make Movies is deeply appreciative of continued support from the Jerome Foundation; we are honored to be one of the recipients of their recently announced grants to arts organizations. We will be using our 2-year grant to support the Next Step Fellowship, a new initiative that will provide additional one-on-one support to a select cohort of emerging NYC and MN-based filmmakers in our Production Assistance Program. An official announcement will be released in the coming months. The Jerome Foundation invests directly in early-career artists, in nonprofit arts organizations that support the ..read more

The 2024 Whitney Biennial, called “the most prominent showcase of American art” by the New York Times, is open now through August 11, and three WMM filmmakers have new works in this prestigious exhibition. SPIRIT EMULSION, an experimental short by Siku Allooloo (Indígena), explores the rich narratives of Indigenous life through Super 8mm film and digital video, revealing deep connections to place and belonging. TOO BRIGHT TO SEE, an installation by Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire), explores the life of Suzanne Césaire, one of the mo ..read more

Courtesy of Joseph Michael Howarth   The Hot Docs Forum, the central industry event at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto, recently concluded with its awards announcements this past Wednesday. For the second year in a row, a WMM filmmaker won the First Look Pitch Prize. This year’s winner ARREST THE MIDWIFE, directed and produced by Elaine Epstein, and produced by Robin Hess and Ruthann Harnisch, is supported by WMM’s Production Assistance Program, and received a cash prize of 20,000 CAD. ARREST THE MIDWIFE captures the intense story of three midwives in Amish and Mennonite communities whos ..read more

Originally posted on February 23, 2024 Republished: May 1, 2024 at 11:15 AM ET   “BYE BYE TIBERIAS cements Soualem’s status as a documentary filmmaker to watch.” – Variety “Suffused with the scents of Palestine, the film is an instructive and touching mosaic where past and present overlap, and a keen sense of heritage and transmission shines through.” – Cineuropa After extended, mostly sold-out, theatrical runs in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, WMM Release BYE BYE TIBERIAS (dir. Lina Soualem) continues to screen in festivals and theaters across the U.S. See below for updat ..read more

LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING, directed by Lisa Cortés and supported by WMM’s Production Assistance Program, has been nominated for an esteemed Peabody Award. The Peabody Awards, which recognize superior storytelling in media, selected their nominees from a pool of over 1,100 entries that encompass a wide array of themes and current issues. This documentary captures the indelible impact of Little Richard on music and culture, spotlighting his iconic role in shaping the sound and spirit of the times. Also nominated in the same category is JUDY BLUME FOREVER, co-directed by Program Alum Davina ..read more

A new bill passed by the Senate this week and signed into law by President Biden demands that its Chinese owners sell the social media app TikTok within a year or face a U.S. ban, underscoring the themes explored in WMM release TIKTOK, BOOM., directed by Shalini Kantayya (CODED BIAS). The film delves into the complexities of TikTok as a cultural and technological powerhouse. It captures the app’s rise to global prominence while also situating It within broader conversations about privacy, free speech, and national security. Women Make Movies distributes the Director’s Cut of the film, the vers ..read more

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Academy Award-nominated, Longtime WMM  filmmaker Lourdes Portillo, a cherished member of the Women Make Movies family. Lourdes, who directed influential works such as THE DEVIL NEVER SLEEPS, CORPUS: A HOME MOVIE FOR SELENA, and AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE, and SEÑORITA EXTRAVIADA, MISSING YOUNG WOMAN passed away over the weekend at the age of 80. Women Make Movies extends heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones. We celebrate her remarkable contributions to cinema and are profoundly grateful for her lasting impact on the WMM community. Lou ..read more

The Official 2024 Tribeca Film Festival selections were released and 9 films from WMM filmmakers will premiere (8 will have their world premieres!). The Tribeca Film Festival, now in its 23rd year, will take place Wed, June 5, 2024 – Sun, June 16, 2024.   Three films made with the support of WMM’s Production Assistance Program, are having their World Premieres:   MADE IN ETHIOPIA – World Premiere. Directed by Xinyan Yu, Max Duncan. Produced by Tamara Dawit, Max Duncan, Xinyan Yu. Made in Ethiopia examines China’s increasing impact on Africa through the story of charismatic busin ..read more

“Preserving the stories and voices of those who have been historically marginalized is a political and feminist act, and these restored and preserved films make a crucial contribution to documenting the complexity and multiplicity of women’s history.” – Amy Aquilino, Manager of Distribution & Digital Assets, WMM & Steering Committee Member, Women’s Film Preservation Fund We are delighted to share that five classic and pioneering films from the WMM collection have recently been restored, and 14 additional titles have been digitally preserved. All are now available to book for exhibition ..read more