Women Make Movies: Sundance Film Festival!

Five WMM Program Films to Premiere in Competition!

5 WMM Production Assistance Program Films to Premiere in Competition at Sundance 2026! The 2026 Sundance Film Festival slate has been announced and we are thrilled to share that five films from our Production Assistance Program will premiere in competition, and three new films by program alums will also be premiering! The following films made with the support of WMM's Production Assistance Program will make their World Premieres: AMERICAN DOCTOR Directed by Poh Si Teng, Produced by Poh Si Teng, Kirstine Barfod, Reem Haddad U.S. Documentary Competition When three American doctors—a Palestinian, a Jewish, and a Zoroastrian physician—enter Gaza to save lives, they're thrust into a collision of medicine and politics that tests every ideal they hold. Their fight to uphold their oath leads them from a besieged hospital to the United States, where they risk everything to honor their promise to their Palestinian colleagues and patients. BARBARA FOREVER Directed by Brydie O'Connor, Produced by Elijah Stevens, Brydie O'Connor, Claire Edelman U.S. Documentary Competition This archive-driven documentary follows pioneering filmmaker Barbara Hammer, charting her lifelong mission to create and preserve queer histories through radical, experimental cinema. Her work echoes across decades of feminist and queer movements, shaping a new generation of bold storytellers. BIRDS OF WAR Directed and Produced by Janay Boulos, Abd Alkader Habak; Produced by Sonja Henrici World Cinema Documentary Competition The love story of a London-based Lebanese journalist and a Syrian activist and cameraman as told through 13 years of personal archives across revolutions, war, and exile. TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN Directed and Produced by Biljana Tutorov, Petar Glomazić; Produced by Quentin Laurent, Rok Biček World Cinema Documentary Competition In the remote highlands of Montenegro, a shepherd mother and daughter proudly defend their ancestral mountain from the threat of becoming a NATO military training ground, stirring memories of the violence that shattered their family.  TAKE ME HOME Directed by Liz Sargent; Produced by Apoorva Guru Charan, Minos Papas U.S. Dramatic Competition A 38-year-old Korean adoptee with a cognitive disability sees her carefully built world unravel during a Florida heat wave, forcing a reckoning with her estranged sister. As everything shifts, she begins creating a life where her voice and agency finally lead. Three new films from program alum have also been accepted to premiere: Liz Garbus' GIVE ME THE BALL!, Dawn Porter's WHEN A WITNESS RECANTS , and Alysa Nahmias' COOKIE QUEENS. Congratulations all!

WOMEN MAKE MOVIES FILMMAKERS ON THE SHORTLIST!

More than Half of the Films on the Doc Feature Shortlist are by WMM FIlmmakers!

WOMEN MAKE MOVIES | DECEMBER 2025   SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: OSCARS SHORTLIST When the 98th Oscars shortlist was announced yesterday, it exceeded even our most hopeful expectations. More than half of the Documentary Feature films on the shortlist are by Women Make Movies filmmakers! This is a milestone for feminist filmmaking, and it builds on an autumn of nominations and wins that shows that long-term support nurtures talent and develops voices that give us unforgettable stories we all need.  We are excited to share this amazing news and to ask you to join us to keep the momentum going. Here are the films made with the support of the WMM Production Assistance Program to make the shortlist: APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS  dir. Petra Costa; prods. Alessandra Orofino, Petra Costa With extraordinary access to top political leaders, Petra Costa investigates the increasingly powerful grip Christian evangelical leaders hold over politics in Brazil. WMM also supported Petra's previous Oscar-nominated feature THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY. CO-EXISTENCE, MY ASS!  dir. Amber Fares; prods. Amber Fares, Rachel Leah Jones, Valérie Montmartin Follows Israeli comedian Noam Shuster-Eliassi as she crafts a one-woman show, tackling inequality and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. WMM also supported Amber Fares's debut feature SPEED SISTERS and distributes THE JUDGE, which she co-produced. SEEDS  dir. Brittany Shyne; prods. Danielle Varga, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Brittany Shyne Brittany Shyne's debut feature offers a look into the lives of Black generational farmers, unveiling the challenges of maintaining legacy and the value of land ownership. Additionally, five new films made by program alum and WMM filmmakers are on the Doc Feature shortlist including: COVER-UP, dir. Laura Poitras FOLKTALES, dir. and prod. Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN, prod. by Helle Faber (also producer of ENEMIES OF HAPPINESS, distributed by WMM) MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART1 - LAST AIR IN MOSCOW, dir. Julia Loktev THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR, dir. Geeta Gandbhir (also co-director of LOVE THE SINNER, distributed by WMM) And two films from program alum made the shortlist for Documentary Shorts: CLASSROOM 4, dir. Eden Wurmfeld THE DEVIL IS BUSY, dir. Geeta Gandbhir, which is also produced by WMM filmmaker Amber Fares as well as Rose Arce and Soledad O'Brien, both producers of other films in our programs. And, finally, a big shout-out to our wonderful board member Claire Aguilar, who was the Executive Producer for ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS, also on the shortlist for Documentary Shorts! This phenomenal showing follows extraordinary recognition of WMM filmmakers earlier in the awards season including a strong showing in the Cinema Eye Nominations and at the IDA Awards, where RIVERS OF GRASS won the Pare Lorentz Award; SEEDS and Brittany Shyne won Best Director and the Emerging Filmmaker Award; and APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS won the Best Writing and Best Production Awards. Additionally, Laurie Townshend won the Allen King Award for Excellence in Documentary at the DGC Awards for directing the powerful new release A MOTHER APART. For more than 50 years, Women Make Movies has worked behind the scenes as an active ally to visionary women and female-identified filmmakers who challenge the status quo and inspire change. Through support, consultations, skills building, and networking, we invest early and we keep showing up. We are advancing gender equity in the film industry – our progress is real, and the need is real too.

Parity Productions: Developing LILIA ✍🏽

January 24-27, Parity will be holding a three day internal development retreat working with the playwright, cast, Literary Manager and Artistic Director on LILIA by 2025 Parity Development Award Winner Monet Hurst-Mendoza. An internal development retreat is exactly what it sounds like.  It is an intentional, protected space where the work can be explored honestly and without performance pressure. No expectations of polish.  No requirement to be finished.  Artists in a room asking questions.  We asked Monet to share some inspiration photos for us to utilize going into this process to give us a sense of atmosphere and context, and we wanted to share them with you too 👇 During this process, the team will focus on structure, character clarity, and emotional stakes. What is landing, what is still unfolding, what needs time. These moments are foundational. Though the retreat is internal, it shapes future drafts. This is the kind of care new plays deserve.