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Artists & Activists

Second Wave Feminist Filmmakers

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A still from Anything You Want to Be

Fifty years on, join us for a weekend of conversation and films from feminist filmmakers in the 1970s – pioneering films that gave voice to stories and issues long silenced.

The women’s movement empowered women to step behind the camera in larger numbers. The ground-breaking directors highlighted in this series made films outside the mainstream industry, frequently through activist film cooperatives and collectives.  Their work was screened in ‘consciousness-raising’ groups, at political conventions and in other alternative venues, and was often intended to spark discussion and action on women’s issues.

These films offered alternate visions to the mainstream, introducing subjects of interest to women and reshaping how films were made in ways that continue to be influential. Through cinema vérité, animation, experimentation and autobiographical techniques – such as images from dreams and entries from diaries – a new cinematic language was forged to capture a shared experience.

The Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television has preserved a large portion of these important Second Wave Feminist films, and their restorations form the core of this season.

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Curated by: Ann Deborah Levy and Kirsten Larvick, Co-Chairs, the Women’s Film Preservation Fund, with programming assistance from Susan Lazarus and Amy Aquilino.

The original format of all films being screened is film.

The Women's Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) is the only program in the world dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of women in the industry through preserving American-made films by women. Founded in 1995 by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), WFPF has preserved nearly 150 American films in which women have played key creative roles. These include works by early feminists, women of colour, social activists and artists that represent unique and irreplaceable contributions to American cinematic heritage. Films already preserved range from those of early pioneers, Lois Weber and Alice Guy Blaché, experimental filmmaker, Maya Deren, animator Mary Ellen Bute, to more contemporary feature director Julie Dash; director and cinematographer Jessie Maple; documentarians Trinh T. Minh-ha and Barbara Kopple and more. The WFPF is rewriting the film history books, one moving picture at a time. 

More information can be found online at: www.womensfilmpreservationfund.org  

New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) suadvocates for equality in the moving image industry and supports women in every stage of their careers. As the preeminent entertainment industry association for women in New York, NYWIFT energizes women by illuminating their achievements, presenting training and professional development programs, awarding scholarships and grants, and providing access to a supportive community of peers. NYWIFT brings together nearly 2,500 women and men working both above and below the line. NYWIFT is part of a network of 50 women in film chapters worldwide, representing more than 15,000 members.

More information can be found online at: www.NYWIFT.org

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Part of The Art of Change

Our 2018 season explores how the arts respond to, reflect and potentially effect change in the social and political landscape.
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