Tired of going to movies that focus exclusively on the experiences of male characters? Tired of seeing women’s roles limited to a few unimportant characters who serve as girlfriends or wives of the male leads? Bored by films that don’t pass the Bechdel test?

Women and Film is a group of movie fans who attend movies by and about women. Inspired by Melissa Silverstein’s blog, Women and Hollywood, we hit the theaters to see films that are women-centered, women-written, or women-directed.

Despite the fact that 55% of moviegoing audiences are female, women-centric films make up only a very small percentage of movies released each year. Hollywood studios claim they make fewer women-centric films because people who see these films tend not to see them on opening weekend. Because studios depend on opening weekend sales to signal which films will be successful and hence which will see a longer run in theaters, it’s important to support the opening weekend sales of these films so that more will be made!

Therefore, as much as possible, we will schedule film outings on opening weekends. This may mean that we’re a bit last-minute regarding theater locations, but we’ll try to pick locations that are in central Orange County. We can also take trips up to the L.A. theaters if there are movies we especially want to see that aren’t playing in OC. A note will be placed on the calendar for upcoming women-centered films, even if we’re not yet sure where they’re playing.

NOTE: The movies we’ll watch are by and about women, but membership is open to ALL. This is not a “women’s” group but rather a movie fans’ group that supports films by and about women. (In other words, we acknowledge the reality that there are intelligent men out there who like to see films that focus on women’s lives and experiences!) We intend to screen films by and about women of ALL races, nationalities, sexualities, and creeds.

Women and Film is a great place to meet new friends and watch great movies!