DESIRE RECEIVES AL GORE'S "REEL CURRENT AWARD"
 

SISTERS IN LAW OPENS NATIONALLY STARTING APRIL 28

ALL WATER HAS A PERFECT MEMORY, a WMM release by Natalia Almada is screening as part of the 5th Anniversary Screenings at the Tribeca Film Festival. We also are proud of the filmmakers who have been associated with WMM who have films screening this year. Ngozi Onwurah (BODY BEAUTIFUL, COFFEE COLORED CHILDREN) has a feature in competition, Shoot the Messenger, and Xandra Castelton, former WMM intern is the Producer of Full Grown Men, screening in the Discovery section. Three WMM-sponsored filmmakers are also part of this year’s Tribeca All Access: Shola Lynch with Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, about radical Black activist and philosopher Angela Davis; Sonali Gulati (NALINI BY DAY, NANCY BY NIGHT) with Out and About, which explores the social and cultural stigmas related to South Asian parents having homosexual children; and Lacey Schwartz with Outside the Box, a personal doc about mixed identity and the traditions and identity of the Black Jewish Community. If you are in New York for the festival, look for WMM staff Chris George and Debra Zimmerman, attending the festival this year.

WMM AROUND THE WORLD IN ROME AND UGANDA

WMM is excited to participate in two upcoming international Film Festivals. Executive Director Debra Zimmerman attends Tekfestival 2006 in Rome (May 4-9) where she presents a workshop on independent film distribution and marketing. In addition, SISTERS IN LAW and WMM-fiscally sponsored film, NO! by Aishah Simmons will have their Roman premieres at the festival.

At the 3rd Annual Amakula International Film Festival in Kampala, Uganda
(May 4-14), WMM screens 30 films, including selections from our African collection: AL’LEESSI...AN AFRICAN ACTRESS, SELBE and MONDAY'S GIRLS, early films by Sally Potter and Julie Dash and recent releases: EVERYONE THEIR GRAIN OF SAND, BEAH: A BLACK WOMAN SPEAKS and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERATOR. Zimmerman will also lead a workshop on independent film distribution and marketing.

NEW WMM BOARD AND STAFF MEMBERS

We are pleased to welcome new WMM board members Claire Aguilar, Programming Director for Independent Television Service (ITVS), Vanessa Artčaga, most recently a Senior Programming and Production Executive with Wellspring, and Michelle Halsell, CEO and Co-Founder of Missing Pixel. We’re also pleased to introduce several new key staff members: Tamiko Beyer joins WMM as Publications Coordinator, most recently with Democracy Now!. Karolyn Reddy has joined WMM as Administrative Office Manager from a position at Safe Horizon. In addition, several WMM staffers have taken on new roles. Promotions include: Sarah Reynolds to Educational Sales & Marketing Coordinator and Olivia Newman to Sales & Marketing Coordinator. View staff page.

WMM FILMMAKERS AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

WMM films and filmmakers are earning industry awards worldwide.
Recent wins include:

NALINI BY DAY, NANCY BY NIGHT by Sonali Gulati
  - Black Maria Film Festival, Director's Choice Award
  - Humboldt Int’l Short FF, Ledo Matteoli Award for Best Immigrant Story
  - Int’l Cinemateca Film Festival, Uruguay, First Prize
SISTERS IN LAW by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi
  - Tel-Aviv Int’l Documentary Film Fest, Best International Film
  - Belfast Film Fest, First Maysles Award
  - Al-Jazeera TV Festival, Silver Award
GOD SLEEPS IN RWANDA, by Kimberlee Acquaro and Stacy Sherman
  - Phoenix Film Festival, World Cinema Short Award
KEEP NOT SILENT by Ilil Alexander
  - Guangzhou Int’l Doc FF, Best First Feature Doc
  - Mumbai Int’l Film Festival, Best First Feature Doc

Other achievements:

WMM filmmakers Anayansi Prado (MAID IN AMERICA) and Meena Nanji
    (VOICES OF THE MORNING) are recipients of National Video Resources Media
    Arts Fellowships, awarded for artistic excellence.

Shola Lynch and Phil Bertelsen's CHISHOLM '72: Unbought and Unbossed, 
    which was fiscally sponsored by WMM, was honored with a Peabody Award.

Sponsored filmmaker Peggy Stern received an Academy Award in the Best
    Animated Short Film category for THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED
     CONVERSATION. Peggy wrote and produced the film, which was directed by
    John Canemaker.

Congratulations to all of our filmmakers!
 

About Women Make Movies
Films from Women Make Movies' collection of more than 500 films by and about women are screened in some of the world's most prestigious film festivals, broadcast on television and cable stations worldwide, and are used by thousands of educational and cultural institutions annually. For more information, visit: www.wmm.com.