The Atlanta Film Fatales give voice to local female filmmakers
Film Fatales provides a space for female filmmakers to support each other, share resources, and help get their films made.
There’s no question being surrounded by a supportive community is one of the keys to success — and few may know that better than women in the film industry. Enter: The Film Fatales, an international collective of female feature directors who meet regularly to mentor each other, collaborate on projects and support each other in their endeavors. The group was founded in New York City in 2013 and has inspired sister groups in more than two dozen cities around the world, including Atlanta.
“In an industry where less than 5 percent of the top grossing Hollywood films and less than 15 percent of independent features are directed by women, Film Fatales provides a space for female filmmakers to support each other, share resources, and help get their films made,” Danielle Bernstein, head of the local Film Fatales chapter, says. Along with monthly meetings, she says FFs also collaborate through writing groups, master classes, panel discussions, film festival programming, educational workshops, theatrical field trips, and a handful of other avenues. “In these ways,” Bernstein says, “we hope to continue to promote the creation of more films by and about women.”
Bernstein discovered Film Fatales after having her first daughter and in the midst of editing a feature documentary film, feeling a bit out of the industry loop. Upon attending an FF meet-up, she ”started the paperwork and research of who is directing so I could form a local chapter right away, and our first meeting was October 2015!” She’s proud to say that AFF is also extremely diverse, representing a variety of ages, ethnicities, and members of the LGBTQ community working in documentary, drama, comedy, animation, puppetry, TV, and more. “There is a lot of emphasis on promoting diversity, and when we broadly speak about women’s stories needing more exposure, it is true, but women of color and LGBTQ need even more exposure,” she says. “The ultimate goal is to grow the amount of women directors working as directors here in Atlanta.”