WOMEN MAKE MOVIES | JULY 2025 E-NEWS | | THE TALLEST DWARF to have its NYC Premiere
at Rooftop Films on July 31! Presented in partnership with ReelAbilities | | | We are excited to announce that we have acquired the distribution rights for THE TALLEST DWARF, also made with the support of our Production Assistance Program. After premiering at SXSW and being featured at DC/DOX, the film will have its NYC premiere on Thursday, July 31 at Rooftop Films, presented in partnership with ReelAbilities! Directed by Julie Forrest Wyman, this timely and intimate documentary charts the filmmaker's quest to find her place within the little people (LP) community at a time when dwarf identity is poised to radically change. As pharmaceutical interventions begin to alter what it means to be a little person, Wyman and a group of LP artists challenge the legacy of spectacle and eugenics through creative resistance and self-representation.
Purchase tickets to the NYC Premiere at Rooftop Films.
The film screening and reception will take place in wheelchair-accessible and LP(little people)-accessible spaces. The film will be shown with open captions and audio descriptions, and ASL and CART will be provided for the Q&A and talkback. | | WMM Acquires Distribution Rights for
THE INQUISITOR and A MOTHER APART | | | Women Make Movies is excited to announce two new additions to our distribution slate: THE INQUISITOR (dir. Angela Lynn Tucker), a powerful portrait of political trailblazer Barbara Jordan, and A MOTHER APART (dir. Laurie Townshend), an intimate journey of healing, motherhood, and self-discovery led by poet and activist Staceyann Chin, made with the support of WMM's Production Assistance Program.
Fresh off its Tribeca premiere, THE INQUISITOR is available to be screened for programming consideration. (Contact Colleen O'Shea to request a screener.) Narrated by Alfre Woodard and directed by award-winning filmmaker Angela Tucker, this documentary blends rich archival footage and stylized interviews to bring Barbara Jordan's legacy into sharp, resonant focus.
A MOTHER APART follows renowned poet, activist, and performer Staceyann Chin as she searches for the mother who left her in Jamaica as a child. Spanning Brooklyn, Montreal, Cologne, and Jamaica, Chin's journey is a raw and lyrical exploration of identity and forgiveness, as she strives to mother her own daughter with intention and grace. Directed by Laurie Townshend, the film weaves animation, archival material, and electrifying stage performances to chronicle a story that is at once personal and universal. The film will premiere on POV this fall and is available to book for screenings. | | In Memory of Joan Braderman (1950–2025) | | | We are deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of Joan Braderman, the trailblazing filmmaker, artist, and longtime WMM collaborator. A radically original voice in experimental and feminist cinema, Joan's groundbreaking work, from JOAN DOES DYNASTY to THE HERETICS, helped shape the landscape of independent media. Her impact as a filmmaker, educator, and founding member of the feminist collective Heresies continues to resonate across generations. We are proud to have supported and distributed Joan's work over the years and are honored to have known such a brilliant and uncompromising creative force of a woman. Read our full tribute on the blog. | | WMM Filmmakers & Friends Invited to
Join the Academy | | | We're proud to celebrate the WMM filmmakers and friends among the 534 artists and executives invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2025. These individuals have made significant contributions to the field and continue to expand the possibilities of cinema through their work.
The following WMM filmmakers and program alum have been invited to join:
✨ Abby Ginzberg
✨ Beth Aala
✨ Ceciilia Aldorando
✨ Elena Fortes
✨ Ema Ryan Yamazaki
✨ Raphaela Neihausen
✨ Rose Troche
✨ Sam Feder
✨ Soudade Kaadan
And a shout-out to WMM friends Cynthia López (Executive Director, NYWIFT) and Margje de Koning (Artistic Director, Movies that Matter Film Festival), who have also received invites. Congratulations to all! | | BlackStar 2025: 4 Films from our
Production Assistance Program To Screen | | | Four films made with the support of the WMM Production Assistance Program will be part of the 2025 BlackStar Film Festival, running July 31–August 3 in Philadelphia. • THE SHADOW SCHOLARS | dir. Eloise King
• SEEDS | dir. Brittany Shyne
• KANENON:WE (ORIGINAL SEEDS) | dir. Katsitsionni Fox
• EXODUS | dir. Nimco Sheikhaden A special shout-out to COMPENSATION, directed by WMM filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis and long distributed by WMM, which will also be in the line-up. | | | Celebrate Disability Pride Month with Women Make Movies by exploring our curated collection of powerful, perspective-shifting films that center voices and experiences of those who are visibly or invisibly disabled or differently abled. Titles include new release THE UNFIXING (dir. Nicole Betancourt), IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? (dir. Ella Glendining), NEURODIVERGENT (dir. Afton Quast Saler), and THE R-WORD (dir. Amanda Lukoff), plus more. Get 25% off all titles in the collection this July with code DP2025. Browse Collection. | | | On Screens in NYC and Beyond | | | | Several films from the Production Assistance Program will be on screens in NYC and beyond in July and August! Read more below. | | | MADE IN ETHIOPIA (dir. Xinyan Yu & Max Duncan) premiered on POV on Monday, July 14! Set inside Ethiopia's largest Chinese-operated industrial park, this powerful documentary follows three women whose lives intersect amid sweeping economic change. 🎥 Watch now | | | LIFE AFTER, the Sundance award-winning documentary from Reid Davenport, will have its NYC Theatrical Premiere at Film Forum starting July 18! This gripping film investigates "right to die" laws and the looks critically at where progressive values of bodily autonomy collide with the devaluing and fear of disabled lives.
🎟️ Get tickets | | FAMILIAR TOUCH (dir. Sarah Friedland) is continuing its extended theatrical run at Film Forum! And it will also screen at BAM on July 29. This tender, coming-of-old-age film follows an older woman's move into assisted living as she grapples with memory, care, and intimacy in her evolving world.
🎟️ Get tickets | | | | EMERGENT CITY (dir. Kelly Anderson) premieres on POV August 25!
This timely doc follows Sunset Park residents as they face rising rents, pollution, and the loss of industry. When a developer proposes a massive "innovation district," the community fights back to defend their future and reshape what justice looks like in NYC. 🎥 Watch here. | | | | | |
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