Fat Floats. The stories of the Padded Lilies, a troupe of fat synchronized swimmers, Archimedes, the Greek mathematician obsessed with floating bodies, and the inventor of the “Drystroke Swimulator” interweave and leave us with the exuberant possibility of a fat body that literally and culturally rises, like cream, to the top. More.

Museum of Modern Art, Premieres Series
Mix: NY Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
 

With the cadence of a classic spy film, Copy Me, I Want to Travel takes three female computer programmers and three female filmmakers on a goose chase around Bulgaria in search of the world’s most notorious virus programmer, the Dark Avenger. The film also sets out to unravel the murky history of women’s roles in the socialist republics through the fascinating story of the development of the first personal computer in Bulgaria: the Pravetz II. More.
Berlin Film Festival
Kassel Documentary Film & Video Festival
 

Scripted from interviews with Serbian émigré Suzana Jeremic, this startlingly beautiful film merges experimental, dreamlike visuals and documentary storytelling to explore the mother-daughter relationship within the context of domestic violence—providing a daring new perspective on this cross cultural issue. More.

Columbus Int'l FF, Winner, Student Drama
Women in the Director's Chair Film Fest
 

“Freedom Road” is a barren stretch that leads in and out of the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women. Yet for some of the women incarcerated there, freedom has been redefined through the power of the pen. As prisoners participate in a unique memoir-writing workshop, they are empowered to retell their own stories—ultimately liberating them from long-held secrets and silence. More.

Big Bear Lake Film Festival
 

An impressionistic journey through Vietnam, this visually driven experimental documentary explores the nuances and complexities of “looking” cross-culturally. Mesmerizing cinematography captures sweeping country landscapes and cities in motion, provoking questions about what it means to truly see another culture. More.

Locarno International Film Festival
Slamdance Film Festival, Spirit of
       Slamdance Award
 

What happens when an independent-minded young girl is born into a centuries-old tradition of prostitution? Against the rich backdrop of rural India, this beautiful film by Mystelle Brabbée follows Guddi Chauhan from the age of 16 through 23 as she struggles against tradition, family and love in hopes of accomplishing her dreams. More.

IDFA, International Documentary Film   
       Festival Amsterdam
Chicago Int'l Documentary Festival,
       President's Jury Award
 

Charissa is a lesbian who wants a church wedding. But her father, the pastor of the town’s United Methodist Church, knows that he would put his career at risk if he were to officiate at her marriage ceremony. However, Charissa and her bride-to-be Kelly continue their plans—finding support in surprising places. Compelling and honest, this emotional film tells the story of one woman’s attempt to reconcile her love, faith and family. More.

San Francisco International Lesbian
       & Gay Film Festival, World Premiere
Austin Gay & Lesbian Int'l Film Festival
 

In this daring short drama based on a true story, a young Turkish woman is brutally attacked, and the responsibility of restoring her family's lost honor is left in the hands of her brother: a thirteen-year-old boy. More.

Sundance Film Festival, Premiere
Cleveland Int'l Film Festival,
        Humanitarian Award
 

Cecilia Cornejo, a Chilean citizen living in the U.S., presents a haunting personal response to the events of September 11, 2001. Weaving together childhood memories, her parents’ recollections of the September 11, 1973 coup in Chile that brought the notorious dictator Augusto Pinochet to power, and conversations with her own young daughter post-9/11, she offers a striking new context with which to view the World Trade Center attacks. More.

MoMA Documentary Fortnight
Cine Las Americas International Film 
       Festival, Special Jury Mention
 

On a desolate American farm in the early 1900's, a farmer is found murdered in his sleep and his wife is jailed as the prime suspect. The highly anticipated re-release of this feminist film classic – a powerful adaptation of the 1917 Susan Glaspell short story – A Jury of Her Peers presents a riveting tale of revenge, justice and women’s shared experience. More.

Academy Award Nomination,
       Best Dramatic Live-Action Short
American Film Festival, Blue Ribbon
 

Winner of an Israeli Oscar for Best Documentary, Ilil Alexander’s stunning debut film boldly documents the clandestine struggle of three women fighting for their right to love within their beloved Orthodox communities in Jerusalem. All three are pious, religiously committed women. All three are lesbians, and members of a secret support group called “Ortho-dykes.” More.

Israeli Academy Award, Best Documentary Torino Gay and Lesbian Film Festival,  
       Audience Award
 

Boxing champion Michele Aboro grew up in South London, where life was never easy, let alone for a mixed-race lesbian girl. Thanks to her tenacious spirit and talent, she put her past behind her and became an undefeated champion. But her career came to a halt when she refused to vamp up her image and pose naked in magazines. A Knock Out offers a probing look at the commercialization of women’s sports. More.

IDFA, International Documentary
       Film Festival, Amsterdam
San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
 

They clean other people’s homes and raise other women’s children – often leaving their own families behind. Three years in the making, this intimate documentary follows three of the more than 100,000 domestic workers from Latin America working in Los Angeles today, and explores their challenges, hopes and dreams More.

Cinequest Film Festival, Premiere
Los Angeles Film Festival
 

From Yulie Cohen Gerstel, a sixth generation Israeli and director of the controversial 2002 release My Terrorist, comes this courageous and provocative personal essay, in which Gerstel questions her own decision to raise her family in war-torn Israel, while challenging Zionist myths. More.

Int'l Women’s Film Festival in Israel
Hamptons Int'l Film Festival
 

A story of love, marriage and the Constitution, this touching documentary follows the heartwarming and historic journey of two Jewish lesbians as they seek to celebrate their commitment to one another. As the issue of gay marriage grips the country, Farrell and Caren’s story personalizes the debates and serves as a testament to the sheer determination of couples and families fighting for their right to love. More.

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Philadelphia Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
 

Made in homage to Kenji Miyazawa’s children’s sci-fi classic “Milky Way Railroad,” Night Passage is the latest experimental feature from celebrated filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-ha and artist Jean Paul Bourdier. This provocative digital tale tells the story of three young friends traveling for a brief moment together on the train between life and death. More.

The Shanghai Art Biennale
NY Asian American Film Festival
 

Called "enormously imaginative" by Variety, this dazzling montage film crafted from more than 150 rarely-seen industrial films produced between 1903 and 1989 reveals the little-known history of female telephone operators. More than just "Voices with a Smile," they held a central place in the development of 20th-century global communications. More.

Toronto International Film Festival
International Documentary Film Festival
       Amsterdam (IDFA)
 

Theresa Goell’s career as an archaeologist began with four strikes against her: she was female, divorced, a Jew working with Muslims and hearing impaired. But Goell abandoned her comfortable lifestyle to pursue her passion at Nemrud Dagh, a site that had eluded archaeologists for centuries. Lubell’s tender film brings this epic adventure to life through breathtaking archival footage, family photographs and Goell’s letters and oral history. More.
 

Who are you if you can’t remember who you are? Quick Brown Fox explores how memories define us and how Alzheimer’s can indiscriminately steal one’s identity and family history. Ann Hedreen’s personal investigation into her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease combines a moving family journey with an insightful look at the science and politics of Alzheimer’s—a disease that now affects more than 18 million people worldwide. More.

Northwest Film Forum
 

Nominated for a Silver Wolf at IDFA, this shocking documentary from the maker of the award winning film Purity exposes the Kafkaesque process of divorce for women in Israel, where there is no separation of church and state, and divorce is dealt with according to archaic and fundamentalist orthodox Jewish law. More.

International Documentary Film Festival
       Amsterdam (IDFA)
Hot Docs Int'l Documentary Festival
 

Screened to acclaim at Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals worldwide and LBGT events across the nation, this candid and courageous portrait of the 15-month female-to-male transition of Jay Snider explores both the emotional and physical changes that accompany this profound experience. This intimate documentary takes the viewer step-by-step through Jay’s motivations, hopes and day-by-day struggles, and poignantly captures his growing sense of himself as "normal.” More.

New Festival: The New York Lesbian and
       Gay Film Festival
Berkeley Film and Video Fest,
       Honorable Mention
 

Soraïda is a Palestinian woman living in Ramallah, in the occupied territories. Despite the military occupation, violence and oppression, she is determined not to lose her humanity. In chronicling daily injustices and routine indignities–will there be enough water for the plants? Will school be open today? – this powerful documentary paints a subtly devastating portrait of life under occupation. More.

Columbus International Film & Video 
       Festival, Honorable Mention
Montreal Festival of New Cinema
 

This beautiful short drama exquisitely explores the unlikely bond that develops between two people from different worlds. When an unexpected Japanese newcomer arrives, eight-year-old Juliette transforms a lonely summer day by the pool into an imaginative adventure. More.

Brooklyn International Film Festival, Grand
       Jury Prize
Rotterdam International Film Festival
 

Are tomboys “tamed” once they reach adolescence? This spirited and inspiring documentary celebrates four real-life tomboys of all ages: an African-American teenager Jay Gillespie, firefighter Tracy Driscoll; lesbian artist/boxer Nancy Brooks Brody; and the 94 year old political activist, “Granny D.,” making the connection between the rebel girl and spirited woman gloriously clear. More.

San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival
 

Their mothers may be convicted thieves, murderers and drug dealers, but the girls of Troop 1500 want to be doctors, social workers and marine biologists. Meeting once a month at Hilltop Prison in Gatesville, Texas, this unique Girl Scout Troop brings daughters together with their inmate mothers—offering them a chance to rebuild their broken relationships. More.

South by Southwest Film Festival
Mill Valley Film Festival

This fascinating portrait presents the personal perspectives of four female Palestinian ex-detainees. The women openly discuss their motivations for becoming active in the fight for Palestinian independence, disclose their horrifying experiences during their years of imprisonment in Israeli jails, and how these events have effected their present lives and future outlooks. More.

AMWA Excellence in Media Award
Canada Palestine Film Festival