Women in Film and TV

Female Filmmakers at SXSW Face a Familiar Challenge: Funding

With South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin’s rearview mirror, some of its most talented female filmmakers still have a long road ahead to bring their movies to public screens. Even the women who clinched premieres at one of America’s most prestigious festivals have to hustle to support their craft.

“The streaming channels that dominate global viewership are no longer buying many smaller or risk-taking projects,” wrote Keri Putnam of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center.

“The number one challenge is fundraising,” said Anayansi Prado, director of Uvalde Mom, which premiered at SXSW and tells story of Angeli Rose Gomez made worldwide headlines during by jumping a fence during a school shooting and racing in unarmed to save her two young sons.

‘Uvalde Mom’ Shows the Courage of Angeli Rose Gomez—and the Failure of Texas Leaders

Premiering at SXSW, Uvalde Mom follows Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who defied police inaction to save her children during the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. The documentary not only captures her heroic actions but also reveals the relentless harassment she faced from local authorities in the aftermath. Through Gomez’s story, the film exposes systemic failures, community trauma and the power of mothers who refuse to stay silent.

Screaming for Change: Documentary Turning Women’s Fury Into Power Hits AMC+

In OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage, Clare Major’s powerful direction and classical-violinist-turned-punk-singer Paris Hurley’s (of Object as Subject, an LA-based art punk band) high-octane music frame this riveting 30-minute documentary on Whitney Bradshaw’s ongoing social practice project, OUTCRY.

The short film follows the photographer from her home in Chicago to D.C. for a reproductive freedom march, then to Denver for an OUTCRY exhibition, and on to Dayton, Ohio, for a scream session just prior to voting on Issue 1, which enshrined abortion rights into the Ohio Constitution.

This film is available to stream from March 14 to April 12 in the AMC + “Future of Film: Athena Rising Stars” collection. 

Sundance 2025: ‘Prime Minister’ Shows What it Looks Like When a Leader Prioritizes Compassion Over Politics

If you want a glimmer of hope that there are still sane, compassionate and intelligent politicians in the world, Prime Minister—winner of the Audience Award in the World Cinema Documentary Competition—will offer just that and more.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s sure-footed and community-minded approach to leadership shines through in this inspiring documentary directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz.

‘Anora’ Took Hollywood by Storm. Here’s What It Says About Power, Class and Sex.

Sean Baker’s Anora invites our capacities for feelings, not judgment, to accompany one young, female sex worker through a few roller-coaster, genre-defying weeks in her life. Like all of Sean Baker’s films, it refuses an ending that tells us what to think. It doesn’t tie things up and lead us to a morally unambiguous conclusion but to the perfect, emotionally right one. And the magic of it is that it does it without much being said.

While the comic parts of the movie, like classic screwball comedies, are full of characters whose talk bumps into each other, jostling for our attention and laughter, the last movement has hardly any dialogue at all. And it will stay with you for a long time.

Sundance 2025: Are the Kids All Right? In Docs, ‘Speak.’ and ‘Sugar Babies,’ Gen Z Strive to Imagine Their Futures

Two Sundance documentaries, Speak. and Sugar Babies, explore how Gen Z navigates ambition, identity and economic survival in an uncertain world.

Speak. follows high school debate champions using their voices to advocate for change, while Sugar Babies profiles a young woman leveraging online relationships to fund her education.

Though their paths differ, both films highlight the resilience and resourcefulness of a generation determined to carve out their own futures.

(This is one in a series of film reviews from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, focused on films by women, trans or nonbinary directors that tell compelling stories about the lives of women and girls.)

And the Oscar for Best Documentary Should Go to … ‘Black Box Diaries’

Black Box Diaries is a powerful, Oscar-nominated documentary that follows journalist and survivor Shiori Ito’s fight for justice after being raped by a powerful media figure in Japan. Using cinéma vérité techniques, surreptitious audio recordings and intimate self-documentation, Ito exposes the systemic failures that silenced her while capturing the emotional toll of her struggle.

The film highlights the global reach of the #MeToo movement and the stark realities of patriarchal impunity, culminating in a historic victory: the 2023 inclusion of consent in Japan’s rape law.

Fifteen Years of Galentine’s Day: A Celebration of Women, Friendship and Power

Galentine’s Day, first introduced in Parks and Recreation 15 years ago, has become a powerful celebration of female friendships, mentorship, and support. More than just a fun tradition, it highlights the importance of women uplifting each other in a world that often overlooks these bonds. This day reminds us that when women come together—whether in friendship or leadership—they create meaningful change. As we celebrate, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering women and fostering a more representative democracy.