WOMEN MAKE MOVIES | OCTOBER 2025 E-NEWS | | WMM Acquires North American Rights for
UVALDE MOM,
WIDOW CHAMPION & LESBIAN CUSTODY | | | Women Make Movies is proud to announce three new additions to our distribution slate: UVALDE MOM (dir. Anayansi Prado, prod. Ina Fichman, David Goldblum), WIDOW CHAMPION (dir. Zippy Kimundu, prod. Heather Courtney), and LESBIAN CUSTODY (dir. Samuael Topiary). Each film tells an extraordinary story of women confronting injustice and transforming their communities—from the fight for land and survival to demands for truth, accountability, and equality across continents. UVALDE MOM, which premiered at SXSW and has been screening in festivals from DC to Washington state, follows Angeli Rose Gomez, the Texas mother who ran into Robb Elementary School to save her sons during the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, TX. Her act of courage ignites a national conversation about justice, accountability, and a community's pursuit of truth.
After making its world premiere at Hot Docs, WIDOW CHAMPION made its U.S. debut at Tribeca. The film centers on Rodah Nafula Wekesa, a widowed matriarch in Kenya who challenges patriarchal traditions by leading restorative justice efforts that empower women to reclaim their land, dignity, and voice. LESBIAN CUSTODY, showcased at Frameline49, revisits the landmark 1977 documentary IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILDREN, recently restored and also distributed by Women Make Movies. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Frances Reid and Julie, the daughter of her late partner and co-director, reflects on the legacy of lesbian mothers who risked everything to keep their children, as well as how their struggles continue to resonate today. All three films are currently on the festival circuit and available to book through WMM. Request Screeners of one or all of these films. | | Fall Webinar Series: UNLOCKING YOUR CREATIVE POWER: STRATEGIES TO FUND, BUILD, AND LEAD YOUR FILMMAKING CAREER | | | It's been a hard year and we want to support the production of independent media, so we put together a Fall webinar series free of charge. Join Women Make Movies for Unlocking Your Creative Power: Strategies to Fund, Build, and Lead Your Filmmaking Career, a dynamic new webinar series designed to help independent artists and filmmakers elevate every aspect of their creative journey. Each expert-led session offers actionable tools and fresh inspiration to help you thrive — creatively, financially, and personally — in today's evolving media landscape. Sessions include: Making Art That Creates Impact with Emmy-nominated producer Simone Pero (Thursday, October 30 at 12 PM ET), The 411 on Tax Credits with Fanshen Cox, DEIA Manager for the California Film Commission (Thursday, November 6 at 3 PM ET), and How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome and Build the Career You Deserve with Kisha Imani Cameron (Date & Time TBA). Sign up now for this empowering series and gain strategies to fund your projects, lead with confidence, and sustain your artistic vision. Register here! | | 16 WMM Supported Films & Filmmakers at DOC NYC | | | Sixteen films from Women Make Movies filmmakers are premiering at this year's DOC NYC! From world premieres to North American, U.S., and NYC debuts, these films represent the global diversity of programming supported by WMM. Films made with the support of the WMM Production Assistance (PA) Program:
✨ A PLACE OF ABSENCE (dir./prod. Marialuisa Ernst, World Premiere)
✨ MY SUNNYSIDE (dir. Matylda Kawka, North American Premiere)
✨ 9-MONTH CONTRACT (dir. Ketevan Vashagashvili, U.S. Premiere)
✨ NUNS VS. THE VATICAN (dir. Lorena Luciano, U.S. Premiere)
✨ ARREST THE MIDWIFE (dir. Elaine Epstein, U.S. Premiere)
✨ THE GAS STATION ATTENDANT (dir. Karla Murthy, U.S. Premiere)
✨ THE AGE OF WATER (dir. Alfredo Alcántara, Isabel Alcántara Atalaya, U.S. Premiere)
✨ I DREAMED HIS NAME (dir. Ángela Carabalí, U.S. Premiere)
✨ EXODUS (dir./prod. Nimco Sheikhaden, U.S. Premiere) Also premiering are new films from Program alum, including: THE MERCHANTS OF JOY (dir. Celia Aniskovich), THE TRIAL OF ALEC BALDWIN (dir. Rory Kennedy), WE MET AT GROSSINGER'S (dir. Paula Eiselt), and REGGAE GIRLZ (dirs. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Trish Dalton), STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! (dirs. Carl Deal, Tia Lessin) TRUE NORTH (dir. Michèle Stephenson), and FREE JOAN LITTLE (dir. Yoruba Richen, prod. Christalyn Hampton). Congratulations to all the filmmakers! Read more on our blog. | | IDFA: WORLD PREMIERES, INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION & MORE | | | We are pleased to announce that 12 WMM supported films and filmmakers will be featured at the 2025 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA). Notably, four films made with the support of our Production Assistance Program will be premiering and screening in competition:
✨ MAILIN (dir. María Silvia Esteve) - World Premiere, International Competition
✨ OUR BODY IS AN EXPANDING STAR (dirs. Semillites Hernández Velasco, Tania Hernández) - World Premiere, Envision Competition
✨ FLOOD (dir. Katy Scoggin) - International Competition, International Premiere
✨ FLANA (dir. Zahraa Ghandour) - International Competition, International Premiere
Other films from the Production Assistance Program in the line up include: COEXISTENCE, MY ASS! (dir. Amber Fares); THE WOMAN WHO POKED THE LEOPARD (dir. Patience Nitumwesiga); HOW TO BUILD A LIBRARY (dir. Maia Lekow), and SEEDS (dir. Brittany Shyne). And Kim Longinotto's first film, PRIDE OF PLACE, distributed by WMM, will also screen in the Dead Angle: Institutions program.
A shout-out to program alum who have new films premiering: Tia Lessin with STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!; Michèle Stephenson with TRUE NORTH; Laura Poitras with COVER-UP; and Chai Vasarhelyi with LOVE+WAR. The 38th IDFA runs November 12–23, 2025, and Executive Director Debra Zimmerman will be in attendance. Congratulations to all the filmmakers! | | It's Awards Season - Nominations, Shortlists & Wins! | | | It's awards season, and we're thrilled to celebrate the remarkable achievements of filmmakers supported through WMM's Production Assistance Program, as well as the continued success of our incredible alum community.
Three films from our program received nominations for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards: - APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS (dir. Petra Costa) was nominated for Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Narration, and Best Political Documentary
- SEEDS (dir. Brittany Shyne) was nominated for Best First Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography; and
- EXODUS (dir. Nimco Sheikhaden) was nominated for Best Short Documentary
The following PA alum also received nominations for new films: Geeta Gandbhir for THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR; Kim. A. Snyder with THE LIBRARIANS; and Chai Vasarhelyi with LOVE + WAR. SONGS OF SLOW BURNING EARTH (PISNI ZEMLI SHSCHO POVOLNO HORYT), directed by Olha Zhurba and made with support from WMM's PA Program, has been shortlisted for the 2025 European Film Academy Awards. And huge congratulations to Mari Keiko Gonzalez — a former WMM staff member and WMM Filmmaker — on winning a New York Emmy® Award for Best Documentary: Culture for MAMBO LEGENDS: THE MUSIC NEVER ENDS. We're proud to stand behind filmmakers who are shaping the future of documentary storytelling. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners! | | | We are deeply saddened by the passing of longtime WMM filmmaker and dear friend, Allie Light, an extraordinary artist, storyteller, and educator. Together with her partner, the late Irving Saraf, Allie created a remarkable body of work that gave visibility and dignity to women's stories often left untold. Their film IN THE SHADOW OF THE STARS won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and she later received a National Emmy Award for DIALOGUES WITH MADWOMEN, a groundbreaking exploration of women and mental health. Over the years, Allie and Irving made many unforgettable films, including RACHEL'S DAUGHTERS: SEARCHING FOR THE CAUSES OF BREAST CANCER, MITSUYE AND NELLIE, THE SERMONS OF SISTER JANE, and BLIND SPOT: MURDER BY WOMEN. Beyond filmmaking, Allie was also a gifted poet and editor. She was a generous mentor and a cherished presence in the San Francisco film community. We are honored to have worked alongside her and to distribute five of her films that carry her vision forward. She will be profoundly missed. | | Celebrate LGBTQIA+ History Month- Save 25% | | | Celebrate LGBTQIA+ History Month with Women Make Movies' curated collection spotlighting powerful queer stories that have shaped history. Don't miss SALLY! (dirs. Deborah Craig, Jörg Fockele, and Ondine Rarey), a vibrant, funny, and unflinching portrait of lesbian-feminist icon Sally Gearhart. Explore more from the collection, including ESTHER NEWTON MADE ME GAY (dir. Jean Carlomusto), LOVE, BARBARA (dir. Brydie O'Connor), REBEL DYKES (dirs. Harri Shanahan, Siân A. Williams), and NICE CHINESE GIRLS DON'T: KITTY TSUI (dir. Jennifer Abod). Celebrate LGBTQIA+ filmmaking past and present, and save 25% on all titles in this collection with code LGBTQHis2025 (expires November 31, 2025). Browse the collection now!
Two new titles from WMM, screening at the Lesbian Lives 2025 conference in NYC this month alongside SALLY!, can be booked for screenings as well (discount code can be applied): A MOTHER APART and LESBIAN CUSTODY. | | | | |
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