Film Fatales is a non-profit arts organization, talent discovery platform, and membership community dedicated to improving the careers of filmmakers of all marginalized genders through advocacy, community building, and artist development services.

 

 

Our mission is to tear down systemic inequalities by nurturing community, demanding visibility, and advocating for lasting and transformative change.

 

Tchaiko Omawale in a mask looking at a monitor

We take an intersectional and action-oriented approach; recommending marginalized creators for funding and distribution opportunities through our Parity Pipeline initiative; providing Hollywood gatekeepers with a clear path to inclusive programming; mentoring the next generation of storytellers through our Fatales Forward fellowship; and sparking public conversation through our Pulling Focus speaker series about the creative process, authentic authorship, and the ongoing movement towards social justice.Through our efforts, scores of emerging and mid-career directors have been hired for directing jobs, received funding, and screened their work at significant film festivals and theaters worldwide.

Tamar Halpern in front of a camera monitor

 

Cinema is a vehicle for empathy. When historically marginalized voices are able to authentically represent our own communities on screen tangible change occurs.

 

Our Membership:

20% Queer Creators

35% People With Disabilities

52% Filmmakers of Color

Fatales Forward is an innovative fellowship focused on emerging trans filmmakers working on their debut or sophomore feature films. With support from the NEA, the program consists of three months of one-on-one mentorship with established gender diverse filmmakers, a virtual Career Advancement Intensive, creative peer workshops, and ongoing artist development support.

The marginalization of trans filmmakers actively contributes to the erasure and misrepresentation that lead directly to real world anti-trans violence. Fatales Forward builds new pathways that lead to meaningful career advancement for the voices that the world so desperately needs to hear. Together we will build community, nurture artistic development, and plant the creative spark for future collaborations.

Pulling Focus is a holistic series of educational events, online panel discussions, craft-based workshops, and in-person networking mixers. This year-round programming provides crucial learning to the next generation of filmmakers while also educating the wider public about issues of equity in the film industry. Hands-on, practical workshops and candid conversations from working filmmakers provide invaluable knowledge to people who may not have access to traditional film school programs. Over the past five years, Film Fatales has hosted over 150 webinars and 75 workshops, panels, screenings and mixers in collaboration with the Sundance Institute, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and many more.

The Parity Pipeline is a results-driven initiative from Film Fatales that fights inequities in the film industry by connecting underrepresented creators directly with key decision-makers looking to hire equitably and program inclusively. This functions as both a career development program for Film Fatales members from historically marginalized backgrounds as well as a content discovery platform for our industry allies, which include over 200 production companies, financiers, programmers, grants, labs, fellowships, film festivals, and distributors. We especially focus on advocating for filmmakers of color, trans or gender non-conforming directors, LGBTQIA+ voices, and/or people with disabilities.

Authentic authorship is imperative to true representation, and dismantling the elitist structures in Hollywood demands investment in artists who are directly impacted by systems of oppression. Film Fatales is actively changing the narrative of who gets to share their stories with the world, providing platforms for marginalized voices to step into their power, get their films made and seen, and actualize shifts in culture.

Friday | Nov, 01, 2024

Film Fatales at DOC NYC

Congrats to all of the Film Fatales members who directed…
Thursday | Oct, 31, 2024

Cinema Eye Honors Awards 2024

Congrats to all the documentaries shortlisted for the Cinema Eye…
Thursday | Oct, 31, 2024

IDA Doc Awards 2024

Let’s celebrate documentaries on the IDA Doc Awards Best Short…