Cinema-Femina is a do-it-yourself meetup group that encourages it's members to scout out and see films made by and about women. It's all about watching movies, making friends, having lively discussions and, perhaps most importantly, it's about supporting the filmmakers themselves.

Female filmmakers NEED US!

They need us to buy tickets the FIRST WEEK their films hit the theaters. Those numbers will determine whether that filmmaker will ever get a distribution deal again. Sucks, huh?

But here's the deal, they also need us to appreciate these films they've worked so hard to get make for us. We, the audience, are what keeps these women writing scripts, doggedly pursuing funding and sacrificing who-knows-what to get that film made and distributed.

Surprise, surprise! Sexism is alive and well in both Hollywood and the Independent Film industry, and the powers that be think any film with a female protagonist is a "chick flick." Films with male protagonists are … you guessed it … "films".  Now, I agree that there are chick flicks AND dick flicks (I like both) but mostly there are just - films about people living their lives. And we need more of them to be about women's lives. The prevailing belief systems of the 'powers that be" is that our lives are simply boring,  stupid and, actually unimportant.  Unless we are models. With big breasts. 

This belief system is insidious and works it's way into the minds of men and women around the world. If the only important lives are men's, then our lives are … expendable. I truly believe that the way women are depicted in film directly influences they way women are treated in the world.

So, let's go to the movies! I'm in NJ but have opened the group up to NYers, too. I often get busy so I've set it up so YOU can suggest a meetup in your area and I can bestow Event Organizer status to you so it becomes your project. I keep it simple and meet everyone in the lobby AFTER a film so we can all go off to a coffee shop to discuss it. Voila!

See you at the movies!

Francesca

PS.  I know about some of this stuff first hand, because I've made a few films, too. Cinema-Femina was an idea I had some years ago when I was president of CinewomenNY - a grass-roots non-profit that helped women make their first films. That organization has since merged with NYWIFT but Cinema-Femina still remains a pet project of mine. A few years ago I created this meetup and we had lots of fun but got busy with my own projects and handed it off to Kerrie … now I'm back and I hope we can use this group as a way to hook up with others to go see brand new films as well as those they may have fallen through the cracks.