ABSTRACT
The resurgence of women’s and feminist film festivals has been one response to the inertia. Since there is a desire for women to be integrated into all areas of the film industry organically, film festivals dedicated to showcasing women’s films, or even highlighting films with themes or production histories deemed “feminist,” may be seen as encouraging a segregated industry. Feminist film festivals, however, likely have a longer haul, as their aims include supporting gender and racial equity initiatives outside of just filmmaking and media representations. Many of the women’s and feminist film festivals operating today were founded in the 2000s, suggesting that although the original women’s film festivals faded, their undertakings had not been accomplished. The intent of the Chicago Feminist Film Festival is to be activist in numerous ways that speak to inequities in industry practices and the aims of feminism more broadly.
