Women Make Movies

Women Make Movies
Name	Women Make Movies
Formation	1972
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	United States; international
Leader title	Executive Director

Women Make Movies is an American nonprofit organization founded in 1972 dedicated to the production, distribution, and promotion of films by and about women. The organization has operated at the intersection of independent cinema, feminist activism, and cultural institutions, partnering with festivals, museums, broadcasters, and academic programs to amplify women’s voices. Over decades it has influenced documentary practice, supported narrative filmmakers, and contributed to collections used by universities, museums, and broadcasters.

History

Women Make Movies was established during the early 1970s feminist movement alongside organizations such as National Organization for Women, Ms. Magazine, and the Women’s Liberation Movement to address underrepresentation of women in film production and exhibition. In its formative years the organization collaborated with collectives like New York Women’s Film Festival and venues such as Anthology Film Archives and Film Forum to screen works and build networks. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s Women Make Movies engaged with funding bodies including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation, while filmmakers associated with the organization participated in retrospectives at institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the British Film Institute. In the 21st century it expanded distribution partnerships with broadcasters such as PBS, BBC, and Arte, and participated in international festivals including Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Mission and Activities

The organization’s mission emphasizes producing, promoting, and preserving films by women and gender-diverse filmmakers, aligning with advocacy groups such as National Women’s Studies Association and legal frameworks like the Equal Rights Amendment campaigns. Core activities include commissioning and co-producing works with producers and institutions like ITVS, HBO, and A&E Networks; offering distribution services to film festivals, academic libraries, and public broadcasters; and curating programs for venues such as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. It maintains relationships with professional associations including the Directors Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the International Documentary Association to improve industry access for women.

Film Distribution and Catalog

Women Make Movies operates a distribution arm that licenses films to universities, public libraries, community organizations, and broadcasters, maintaining a catalog used by programs at Columbia University, New York University, University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, and the Smithsonian Institution. The catalog includes feature films, documentaries, and shorts by filmmakers whose works screen at festivals such as Telluride Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival and win awards like the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, the Academy Award, and the Berlinale Golden Bear. Distribution partnerships extend to streaming platforms and arthouse exhibitors including IFC, Kanopy, and Criterion Collection retrospectives, while preservation collaborations involve archives like the Library of Congress and UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Notable Films and Filmmakers

Filmmakers associated with the organization include documentarians and narrative directors who have screened at venues like Cannes Film Festival and received honors from institutions such as the Venice Biennale. Notable names linked to the broader ecosystem and occasional collaborations include Agnès Varda, Chantal Akerman, Ava DuVernay, Kelly Reichardt, Mira Nair, Kathryn Bigelow, Julie Dash, Agnieszka Holland, Lina Wertmüller, Sofia Coppola, Claudia Llosa, Maya Deren, Cheryl Dunye, Barbara Hammer, Betty Thomas, Sally Potter, Jane Campion, Lisandro Alonso, Nadine Labaki, Gurinder Chadha, Dee Rees, Kim Longinotto, Patricia Rozema, Deepa Mehta, Signe Baumane, Margaret Brown, Katherine Dieckmann, Marina Abramović, Gillian Armstrong, Tilda Swinton, Julie Taymor, Lynn Shelton, Nora Ephron, Nancy Savoca, Pamela Yates, Aisholpan Nurgaiv, Rebecca Miller, Leslie Thornton, Agnes Merlet, Ana Lily Amirpour, Monika Treut, Svetlana Alexievich, Haifaa al-Mansour, Valerie Faris, Barbara Kopple, Nan Goldin, Sophia Coppola, Joan Micklin Silver, Martha Rosler, Kathleen Collins, Teresa Villaverde, Maya Goded, Megan Mylan, Wendy Goldman.

Workshops, Training, and Community Programs

Educational initiatives involve workshops, mentorships, and training programs hosted in cooperation with cultural partners such as New York Public Library, Women in Film, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, and university film departments at Yale University, Princeton University, and Brown University. Programs provide technical training in cinematography, editing, and producing, and present career development panels featuring members of unions and guilds like the Writers Guild of America and the Editors Guild. Community outreach includes curated screening series for local cultural centers and collaborations with advocacy groups such as RAPE Crisis Centers and health organizations—forging connections with public policy forums at venues like City Hall and state arts councils.

Impact and Reception

The organization’s impact is evident in increased visibility for women filmmakers in festivals, awards, and academic syllabi across departments at University of Michigan, Stanford University, and University of Chicago. Critics and scholars from journals associated with Film Comment, Sight & Sound, and university presses have acknowledged its role in diversifying film canons and shaping discourse at conferences like the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. Reception among industry bodies such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and media outlets including The New York Times and Variety has ranged from praise for advocacy to calls for broader intersectional outreach.

Funding and Governance

Funding has come from public and private sources including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, corporate philanthropies, membership dues, and earned revenue from licensing. Governance is typically overseen by a board composed of professionals from film, philanthropy, and academia with advisory relationships to organizations like the Cinémathèque Française and the International Documentary Association. Financial oversight and reporting follow nonprofit standards observed by institutions such as the Internal Revenue Service and state charities regulators.

Category:Film organizations Category:Feminist organizations