WIFV/NE members Rebecca Richards (l) and Bonnie Waltch (r) with Director Kimberly Peirce of "Boys Don't Cry" at House Of Blues for the 2000 International Festival of Women's Cinema.

In 1981 a group of five women from Boston's production community sat around a living room in Arlington, MA and pondered the state of filmmaking for women in the Boston area. Gathered together by local writer/producer Harriet Reisen, the group had been invited to discuss the need for a New England-based chapter of Women in Film, the Los Angeles group dedicated to improving opportunities for women working in the film industry. Founded in 1973 by "Hollywood Reporter" publisher Tichi Wilkerson Kassel, the group was formed in response to the lack of empowerment for women working in Hollywood. Frustrated by the lack of equal job opportunities in the entertainment business and the largely negative depiction of women on the screen, Wilkerson Kassel and an ever-growing group of like-minded female colleagues banded together to help women achieve their goals through shared information, moral support and professional expertise. WIF/LA quickly became a force to be reckoned with.

While a Screenwriting Fellow at the American Film Institute, Harriet Reisen had joined WIF/LA and attended several of the group's programs including their annual "Crystal Awards" fundraiser which honors women's contributions to the industry. Reisen was duly impressed by what she saw. "Major players, both male and female, came out in force to attend the gala luncheon." says Reisen. "It was all extremely glamorous in the Hollywood sense. I was dazzled by the power and presence of these women and their visibility in the industry. It was clear that this was a celebration about women helping other women." This was very encouraging at a time in history when women were actively trying to facilitate positive change in the workplace. It was the 1970's and the early 1980's, when enormous upheaval was taking place in American Culture as a result of the women's movement. It was a heady time for women, but a difficult time as well. Women were excited and enthusiastic about new life possibilities, both professionally and personally, but there were still obstacles along the way for many. "Even though it wasn't so very long ago" says Reisen, "there was still this prevailing attitude that women didn't need to have a career - you'll simply grow up and find a nice man to support you."

Member Alisa Shapiro proudly displaying her WIFV/NE tee shirt.

Here in New England at that time, there was a small number of visible women filmmakers making documentaries and still others working in television, but there was no collective voice to address issues and concerns unique to them. There were only a handful of women in any positions of real power and influence in media management to serve as role models or key supporters of other women. The area's production community had a clearly defined hierarchy and women, in particular, had little opportunity to break down those boundaries and interact with one another. Yet, it was clearly something many were looking for.

Reisen's decision to start the chapter had been prompted in part by her own experiences as a woman working in the film and TV world but also by her observations as a film writer for Boston's alternative weekly, "The Real Paper" that many members of Boston's film community were largely disconnected from each other. This lack of connectedness was one issue which eventually led to the founding of the BostonFilm/VideoFoundation, the New England area's largest media arts service organization. While the establishment of the BF/VF was a real turning point in Boston's film history, a number of women were still searching for something else.

WIFV/NE members at a recent meeting.

The five women sitting around Reisen's living room with their lists of ideas set about brainstorming the importance and necessity of a media arts organization in New England just for women. They had many questions, but the most pertinent one they asked themselves was, "What's the main thing you'd be looking for?" The answer was unanimous - relationships with peers. As with WIF/LA, these women wanted to meet other women to share ideas with, form friendships and support one another in their creative endeavors. With encouragement and advice from WIF/LA, the group next took the steps needed to legally found Women in Film and Video/New England as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Once word got out that Women in Film and Video/New England had been formally established, it quickly took on a life of its own. WIFV/NE membership grew steadily and soon represented women from the five New England states working in many different areas of media including, writers; producers; directors; publicists; lawyers; composers; editors; and animators. As witnessed throughout the history of the organization, a group of dedicated volunteers worked alongside Reisen and to set goals and help move WIFV/NE forward. A number of women who continue to be highly visible in the area's film community were instrumental in getting WIFV/NE off the ground. Writer/director Kat Tatlock, an ardent supporter of the organization, agreed to serve as the founding vice-president. Novelist Alice Hoffman was an early member, as was Masterpiece Theater and Mystery executive producer Rebecca Eaton; documentarian Nancy Porter lent her support as did filmmakers Christine Dall and Susan Woll and IMAX producer/director Susanne Simpson. A number of other women who served as board members and officers also made lasting contributions.

WIFV/NE's 1996 Pixels, Bytes and the Web Conference panelists.

The first few Women in Film and Video/New England meetings consisted of a group of Sunday brunches in various members' homes while a strategy for the future was mapped out. With no staff and budget to speak of, but enthusiasm and ideas in abundance, the first WIFV/NE governing board plotted out an ambitious program of events. "Our mindset was to let the people who were active in the running the organization at whatever time, take it in the direction they wanted to go", says Reisen. "If they had the time, energy, and inclination, we'd say, go for it." The end result has been an eclectic group of programs through the years.

Women in Film and Video/New England has a long history of presenting outstanding events of which to be proud. One of the organization's earliest and most notable successes was the Dorothy Arzner Film Festival in 1984. The ten-day festival showcasing work by women filmmakers from around the globe had been proposed by member Midge McKenzie who produced it together with a group of her fellow volunteers. The Arzner Festival, with sponsorship from "The Boston Phoenix" and the Mass. Film Bureau, was a great success and helped put WIFV/NE firmly on the map. The Festival would continue again in 1986 and 1990. In 1985 the organization presented "The Made for TV Festival" a three-day conference and exhibition series held at the Institute of Contemporary Art and Harvard's Graduate School of Education. That same year WIFV/NE presented a sold-out evening with director Susan Seidelman, red hot and in the spotlight after the success of her film "Desperately Seeking Susan." In 1987, Women in Film moved into its first office space at the Margaret Fuller House in Cambridge and hired Elizabeth Murphy, its first administrator. Under the leadership of two-term President Priscilla Forance, the group initiated collaborations with a number of area non-profits including the BF/VF; MIT's Women's Studies Program; the Institute of Contemporary Art; Women in Theatre; the Women's Caucus for Art; and Cambridge Community Television. In 1989 WIFV/NE co-sponsored a major collaboration, "Women See Women", a women's art event featuring an art exhibit; a play; and a new documentary about writer Alice Walker for International Women's Day. Collaborations and partnerships remain a vitally important part of WIFV/NE's mission. The first administrative director is hired. In the early 1990's the office relocates to Newton where it shares space with the Center for Independent Documentary. Director Martha Coolidge receives the first Women in Film and Video/New England Image Award. The Award, which recognizes a woman in film or video, who, through her own example or in the portrayal of the female experience, advances the image of women, was presented in a ceremony at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. In 1993 the group presents the day-long conference, "Fast Forward: Empowering Women in the Film and TV Industry" in conjunction with Radcliffe College and in 1994 presents its first "Women in the Director's Chair" workshop.

(left to right) Members Tory Ryden, Maureen Foley and Denise Widman share a laugh at the 1999 Image Awards.

1995 was a milestone year for Women in Film and Video/New England as they hired their first Executive Director to help propel the organization into even higher levels of achievement. Ever aware of members professional opportunities, the organization's 1996 seminar "Pixels, Bytes and the Web" took WIFV/NE's members into the world of new media and showed them not only how to market themselves to the industry, but also to question new ethical issues connected to the internet. The "Directors Directing" seminar in 1997 featuring workshops with over a dozen local directors is a resounding success attracting a large number of both men and women to the event. In 1999 the organization establishes a new tradition for The Image Awards for Excellence and Vision with a black-tie gala fundraiser at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Female broadcast pioneer Julia Child is among the six individuals honored. The Awards Gala continues in 2000. The black-tie events establish a new level of visibility for Women in Film and Video/New England and its services to the community of female cinematic artists. Another highlight in 2000 was "An Evening with Kimberly Peirce", director of the acclaimed film, "Boy's Don't Cry", as part of the Boston Festival of International Women's Cinema. Peirce's heartfelt talk at the Brattle Theater about her personal journey as a filmmaker reflects the best of WIFV/NE's programs.

WIFV/NE Founder Harriet Reissen.

While Women in Film and Video/New England has always been committed to presenting programs that educate, inform, entertain and enlighten its members, another part of the organization's mission has been about community relations - giving back to the community what they could through their expertise in filmmaking. The group has produced media workshops for teens and made PSA's and films most notably for local non-profit groups working with women and girls. In 1999 the WIFV/NE produced a film for Greater Boston's Big Sister Association which premiered at that organization's annual dinner for major benefactors. WIFV/NE's most recent community outreach effort is the short film for the G.I.R.L.S. Project, an organization committed to boosting girls' sense of self-esteem through creativity and positive interaction. WIFV/NE's pro bono community projects benefit not only the organizations selected, but also WIFV/NE's younger members who are able to acquire new production skills through their involvement as a crew member. The G.I.R.L.S. Project film will premiere at The Women in Film and Video/New England's 20th Anniversary Gala on May 24th at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Women in Film and Video has also had a long-standing commitment to issues of diversity and addressing the needs of women filmmakers of color. Current WIFV/NE President Lucia Small has made furthering this cause a personal focus while she's been in office. Two recent WIFV/NE events she championed included an evening with Civil Rights documentarian Judy Richardson and another with writer/director and longtime "La Plaza" producer Raquel Ortiz. Small's hope is that these women will serve to inspire other women like themselves.

Women in Film and Video/NE has made a real difference in the lives of hundreds of local women working in film and television since the organization's founding in 1981. It's helped foster a real sense of friendship and respect and community among its members. A community of individuals who support one another and their dreams and often times realizations of seeing their work on the screen whether big or small.

For more information joining WIFV/NE or buying tix for gala event on May 24th, please call 617-491-5222 or email to info@womeninfilmvideo.org