Women Make Movies (WMM) supports women producers and directors from the beginning, planting the seeds for a diverse and inclusive filmmaking landscape. As the world’s leading distributor of independent films by and about women, WMM amplifies historically ignored voices and challenges the mainstream media.

Founded in 1972, Women Make Movies spent its first decade training women to become filmmakers and helping them access necessary equipment. In the decades since, Women Make Movies has grown into an established and respected organization with a flourishing suite of international partners and programs, a catalog of nearly 700 films, and a renowned roster of alumna. WMM has a legacy of more than 50 years of building the New York filmmaking community through two core programs: Production Assistance and Distribution. Currently led by Executive Director, Debra Zimmerman, WMM understands that the work is clearly far from done. A recent study at the Center for Media and Social Impact shows that from 2014–2020, only 26% of directors were women; of the nearly 1,000 documentary films currently available to stream on commercial media, less than 7% were made by BIPOC women directors. It is evident that women and non-binary filmmakers, and especially those from historically marginalized backgrounds, are in need of significant support. WMM has a vision of changing this—of creating gender and racial parity in the documentary film industry by seeding the field with new and diverse voices and by supporting filmmakers in production and through distribution.

Jerome Foundation supports Women Make Movies’ Next Step Fellowship program. The Next Step Fellowship is a year-long program for early career New York City and Minnesota-based filmmakers that provides tailored individual and group mentoring, consulting, and learning opportunities. Supporting first or second-time filmmakers— with a focus on supporting women of color, LBTQIA filmmakers, and women with disabilities — this program consists of in-person convenings, online bimonthly meetings and consultations, peer support, and professional development on topics vital to the business and art of film such as pitching, editing trailers, and story development. The goals of the program also include bringing the filmmakers and their project to the attention of industry professionals. The Next Step Fellowship supports early career filmmakers as they develop their skills, create impactful art, learn about options for distribution, and build sustainable careers in the film industry while also moving the needle closer to gender and racial equity.