Have questions about WMM? Start here for
answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about our organization and the services we offer.
If you can't find the information you need, email us at
info@wmm.com.
 How and when was WMM founded?
Does WMM make films and videos?
Can I become a member of WMM?
How can I see your films?
How do I submit a film to be considered for distribution by WMM?
Does WMM read scripts?
How do you find the films and videos for your collection?
How can I review WMM titles for my publication?
Can you provide contact
information for filmmakers you distribute?
I am interested in having a WMM filmmaker or staff member come speak to my class or
organization, how can I set this up?
Why are there multiple pricing levels for your films?
Does WMM offer grants to film or video projects?
Does WMM offer filmmaking
classes?
Can you recommend equipment rental or production insurance providers?
Does WMM have message boards for crew announcements, internships or
other networking opportunities?
How and when was WMM founded?
Women Make Movies was founded in 1972 by Ariel Dougherty and Sheila Page with the specific mission of training women to become film and video makers. For a detailed history of the organization, see the
WMM History.
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Does WMM make films and videos?
Although our name would lead you to believe that we makes movies, we
actually do not make films or videos. WMM did produce movies up until the early
1980s, at which point we started to focus on the distribution of films and
videos.
The
Production Assistance Program was created as a way to maintain our
commitment to assisting women film and videomakers in the production of their
films.
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Can I become a member of WMM?
Women Make Movies does not have a membership program but by becoming a “Friend of WMM” you can support the work of WMM and enjoy various benefits. To learn more about how to become a Friend, visit the
Support WMM section of our website. You can also support WMM by volunteering as an
intern. Learn more about the program on our
Jobs & Internships page.
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How can I see your films?
Women Make Movies films screen at festivals and other exhibition venues
throughout the world, and are broadcast on many television and cable stations.
We suggest that you become familiar with your local exhibitors of independent cinema and your regional film festivals and check their schedules regularly
for WMM films. You can also check the
Public Screenings and
On TV
sections of our site for a schedule of selected exhibitions. We also announce
some screenings in our monthly e-newsletter. Click
here to sign up.
We also have a screening room that is open to the public where film may be
screened for $5 per hour. Reservations must be made in advance. Please contact us at
webinfo@wmm.com
to arrange an appointment. Be sure to include the organization with which you
are affiliated, the titles you wish to screen and the date you want to come in.
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How can I submit a film to be considered for distribution by WMM?
Films and
videos distributed by WMM must be both by and about women. After reviewing our
Distribution Guidelines, we ask that
you submit an Acquisition Submission Form along
with any promotional material. After we review the printed material, we will
contact you for a screener if we are interested.
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Does WMM read scripts?
No, WMM does not read scripts or produce film or videos. The
Distribution Service considers only completed films for distribution. If you are currently fundraising for your film or video, you may want to consider our
Fiscal Sponsorship Program. If you need additional production assistance, consider attending our
Workshop Series.
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How do you find the films and videos for your collection?
The staff
of Women Make Movies screens hundreds of film each year to find the very best in
women’s media. Films are acquired by various means. The staff of WMM travels to
national and international film festivals to screen potential acquisitions. We
receive recommendations from programmers, funders and broadcasters. We also
scour festival catalogues and other publications looking for works which may be
of interest to those who use our films. Many films in our collection are also
acquired through direct submission to our office. The process is extremely
competitive: we acquire less than 5% of the films we screen each year. For more
information on the acquisition submission policy, refer to the
Distribution Guidelines.
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Can I review WMM titles for publication?
Please contact us at webinfo@wmm.com with the name of your publication and the titles you are interested in reviewing.
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Can you provide contact information for
filmmakers who you distribute?
Please contact us at webinfo@wmm.com with the specifics of your request. Be sure
to state whether this is for academic research, a publication, or with what
organization you are affiliated.
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I am interested in having a WMM filmmaker or staff member come speak to my class or organization, how can I set this up?
We are happy to put you in touch with our makers to make arrangements for speaking engagements. Contact us at
webinfo@wmm.com with the filmmakers you would like to attend, along with the date and description of your event. WMM staff members are also available to speak with WMM films and videos by contacting us at
webinfo@wmm.com.
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Why are there different pricing levels?
Women Make Movies primary sells films to universities, public and
private institutions, museums, arts and community organizations, for which our
pricing is standard for the industry. We offer discounted prices to K-12
schools, public libraries and non-profit organizations with budgets under
$350,000 per year. Many people ask why our prices are so high. Here is what
former board member and Professor Patricia Zimmermann has written about WMM
prices:
Women Make Movies offers work that is more
like a quality reference book for a public library. That's why none of
these films cost $19.99 or can be found in the remainder pile at K-mart: they
cost more because they are harder to produce, attract a smaller market, and
present a unique vision that the media behemoths can't produce. These higher
prices subsidize WMM's sliding scale policy, guaranteeing that women's film and
video will get to prisons, Native American tribes, battered women's shelters,
self-help groups, high schools and even the Girl Scouts. They also allow Women
Make Movies to pay higher royalties that fuels new work by women media artists.
So the rental or purchase of a Women Make
Movies work is actually like buying an insurance policy for women's media in the
21st century. Now, more than ever in the last 25 years, we need to morph
this year of living dangerously into a year of living courageously.
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Does WMM offer grants to film or video projects?
Women Make
Movies does not offer grant, loans, advances or conduct fundraising research for
your project. However, we do have fundraising workshops bi-annually that can
assist you in the fundraising process. And our Fiscal Sponsorship program can
assist you with consultations. There are many resources on line and in the
future we’ll have a list of funders in our own resource section. If you are in
the New York City area, we would suggest conducting research at the Association
of Independent Video and Filmmakers Library (http://www.aivf.org/)
or the Foundation Center Library (http://www.fdncenter.org/)
located in major cities throughout the United States.
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Do you offer filmmaking classes?
We offer a
Workshop Series in the Fall and
Spring which focuses on the business and financial aspects of video and
filmmaking. If you are interested in subscribing to our workshop email
newsletter, please fill out a Email Request Form. We also list a few other
national media organizations that offer film and video workshops, in our
Resources section.
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Can you recommend equipment rental or production insurance providers?
WMM does not offer insurance or production equipment. Refer to our
Resources section for a list of
additional media organizations that offer these services and for other
additional recommendations.
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Does WMM have job or message boards for crew announcements, internships or other networking opportunities?
At this time, we do not offer an on-line message board though we do hope to be able to offer one in the future. If you would like to post an announcement to our bulletin board located in our office, please email
webinfo@wmm.com
or fax a copy to 212-925-2052.
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