Rocky Mountain Women's Film - 2022 Year In Review

2022 Year In Review

35 Years of Film

Reflections

Finally! After two long years, it feels like we have at last been able to put the pieces back together following the pandemic that shook the world starting in 2020. That’s not to say we are fully back to normal – I’m not even sure that’s an option; however, we have certainly regained our balance and have been able to reinstate many of our programs and events previously put on hold - just in time to celebrate our 35th anniversary!

We launched 2022 with a brand new event in partnership with the Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute, the Chinese New Year Film Festival, hosting five online screenings and one in person at Kimball’s Theater downtown. In February we celebrated Black History Month with two screenings in Fountain, Colorado, marking the return of our Film in the Community program. Six more FIC screenings were hosted throughout the remainder of the year at diverse locations throughout Colorado Springs. Film Club also sprang back into action beginning in May, offering a monthly screening at the RMWF offices, complete with popcorn and lemonade. It felt wonderful having folks back in our space!

Shorts Night, our annual fundraising, took place in April – back in-person for the first time since 2019. Again, the energy and delight of the crowd was palpable, and a

great reminder of how wonderful it is to come together around film.

In May we hosted a new Legacy Series and honored the work of filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson, whose filmmaking career has spanned the life of RMWFF. Over the course of two weeks we offered both inperson and online screenings of most of her films. The event culminated with an awards presentation and conversation with Lisa.

Drive-In Cinema returned for the third year, one of the (few) positive results of the pandemic, with screenings taking place every month from June through October. Our July screening celebrated PRIDE and included a delicious spread of hot dogs and hamburgers, courtesy of Inside Out Youth Services.

August was our birthday blow-out month, where we celebrated with a whopping five events – each offering a sweet treat in honor of our 35th birthday! Our anchor event was Cinema in the Park, with over 500 attendees enjoying food trucks, music and the Academy Award winning film SUMMER OF SOUL. We closed out the month with Rascal Cinema, a joyful gathering of kids (and their parents) for an evening of fun and films on the lawn behind the RMWF offices.

In November we presented the 35th annual Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, putting the final piece back in place with our return to Colorado College. The

energy and enthusiasm of the attending filmmakers, sponsors, donors and attendees were highly rewarding and we are indebted to all for helping make this event possible.

It wouldn’t feel right to celebrate this significant milestone without acknowledging the founders of this incredible organization. Jere Martin, Donna Guthrie and a small but mighty band of women pulled together to present the very first festival back in 1988, and continued to nurture it in the following years. We are deeply honored that this same band of women joined together again to collectively sponsor this year’s festival.

Thank you founders, and everyone else who has supported us over the past years – as an attendee, filmmaker, sponsor or donor. We are so happy to be standing strong and look forward to continuing the RMWF legacy for years to come!

In Gratitude

Angie Adams

Beth Beyer

Linda Boedecker

Linda Broker

Maria Faulconer

Lauren George Kat Jorstad

Meg Kendall

Summer Kircher

Betty Lynn Mahaffy

Jere Martin

Suellen McAndrews

Alexandra McKeller

Lori Pinello

Jane Ragle

Kathleen Ricker

Kathy Stults

Kathy Vaninwegen

Elizabeth Youngquist

LINDA B. BROKER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Partnering with the Colorado Springs Chinese Cultural Institute, RMWF celebrated the 2022 Chinese New Year from Jan. 28-31 with film highlighting Chinese and Chinese American history and culture. The festival featured six films: five online and BEETHOVEN IN BEIJING in-person at Kimball’s Theater.

Chinese New Year Film Festival 6 FILMS 438PARTICIPANTS

Shorts Nights

In April our annual fundraising event supporting the year-round programming of Rocky Mountain Women’s Film was back in-person at Stargazers Theatre. Shorts Night presented a lineup of some of the most decorated short films of the year from some of the most prestigious awards and festivals from around the world.

In all, eight films were screened to 425 attendees, raising $29,000.

To kick-off our Legacy Giving Campaign, we were thrilled to be able to recognize filmmaker and friend, Lisa F. Jackson, as our first RMWF Legacy Award recipient in May. Over the past two decades we have had the honor of screening five of Lisa’s films at our annual festival, all presenting stories that have informed, challenged and entertained our audiences. Madepossiblebythe LoriCohenEndowmentFund.

For two weeks, we delved into Lisa’s body of work with special screenings of her films both online and at the RMWF offices, all free of charge. The celebration culminated with an award presentation for Lisa in downtown Colorado Springs.

Community and film are at the heart of what we do. By coordinating film screenings - free of charge - with community partners, Film in the Community reaches new audiences in diverse venues. This program is made possible thanks to the support of the BEE VRADENBERG FOUNDATION.

Rocky Mountain Women’s Film was honored to be invited to participate in the Green Box Arts Festival in Green Mountain Falls this past June. This annual event is a multi-week, multi-disciplinary cornucopia of arts performances, exhibitions, classes, camps, conversations and parties. RMWF provided film programming offered on two separate evenings, one under the stars and the other under the protective covering of The Farm Stand venue. Free popcorn for all!

Following an 18-month COVID hiatus, we were thrilled to be able to reinstate our monthly Film Club, where we present a film from the Madelyn Osur Film Library on the screen at Rocky Mountain Women’s Film office inside the Lincoln School. These screenings are offered free of charge (with donations gladly accepted!).

CINEMA DRIV E

Drive-In Cinema was back for a third year! During the summer and into the fall, RMWF hosted five films along with the return of tailgating and of course, FREE popcorn. Featuring a mix of new releases and festival favorites, everyone who attended rediscovered the magic of the classic drive-in.

ATTENDEES

Rocky Mountain Women’s Film, celebrated its 35th year as part of the arts and culture scene of Colorado Springs, by presenting a screening of Academy Award-winning SUMMER OF SOUL under the stars at Monument Valley Triangle Park in August. The park was full with picnics, food trucks, music and film. Many thanks to the SACHS FOUNDATION for sponsoring this event.

Rascal Cinema returned in August, featuring an evening of family-friendly short films. In partnership with Flipshack and Kids on Bikes, the youngsters got to bounce and pedal before settling down to watch some silly, some thoughtful and some curious films on the lawn behind our offices.

A deeper dive into stories that become films and those who create them, Filmmaker LIVE! returned this Fall.

In partnership with the Film and Media Studies Program at Colorado College, we held a special screening of THE JANES, a story of a group of unlikely outlaws. In the pre-Roe v. Wade era –– a time when abortion was a crime in most states –– the Janes provided low-cost and free abortions to an estimated 11,000 women.

Following the screening, we had the honor of hearing from director, Tia Lessin, who talked about the film making process, the story and its relevance to our community today.

With the help of committed volunteers, Festival in the Community became an entre to the Festival for many.

Over 300 filmgoers took part in six free screenings offered in advance of the festival. Partners included Temple Beit Torah, One Nation Walking, Lutheran Family Services, PILLAR, Payne Chapel and Manitou Arts Center.

The Festival returned to Colorado College, with 41 films screening in four venues. We were honored to be joined by eighteen filmmakers and special guests, who all richly enhanced the experience for the 1,500 attendees. Parties, live music and filmmaker forums were all part of the in-person weekend. The following weekend we provided an opportunity for folks to participate virtually, with 36 films made available online. We were so glad to once again gather and build community around film.

THE EXPERIENCE

“The Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival was an incredible experience, and really stands apart as a festival that treats filmmakers incredibly well. I really appreciated the incredible programming and the great job in fostering community among the filmmakers, the generous hospitality and wonderful receptions and parties, the travel support and coordination and it was really fun getting to know the RMWFF team! I hope to come back on the horizon!”

- CYNTHIA LOWEN, DIRECTOR BATTLEGROUND

“I am always blown away by the caliber of this festival: the films shown, the large and engaged audiences, the filmmakers who attend, the events and the connections that are made. It’s a true community in every sense of the word. I hope to be back again!”

- MERCEDES KANE, DIRECTOR ART AND PEP

“As a first time filmmaker traveling to festivals here in the US since February 2022, RMWFF was a highpoint for me. This is the first festival I have experienced where the community truly shows up for the films at the festival.”

- MAE THORNTON MEHRA, PRODUCER BEING MICHELLE

“This event always runs like a well oiled machine. Every aspect! And the films were outstanding as always. Every year I look forward to being drawn out of my “bubble” to experience the depth of emotion and soul searching these films bring me. I’m so thankful.”

- FESTIVAL ATTENDEE

“Everything about the festival was exceptional. I loved the matching gift. Venues fantastic. Volunteers GREAT. Films were amazing!! Options for food the best.”

- FESTIVAL ATTENDEE

“The incredible effort and organization are apparent from the first community film I attended. The volunteers are cheerful and tireless and the energy and enthusiasm of the people attending is palpable. It is a tremendous asset to this community as well as to those in attendance.”

- FESTIVAL ATTENDEE

“I love the way that the films I watch challenge me in ways that my day to day life does not.”

- FESTIVAL ATTENDEE

GRATITUDE

Thank you to our

sponsors!

Derry & Dave Adams

Angie Adams

Mona Adelgren

Judy Anderson

Mary & Frank Barry

Kimberly Bauer

Nancy Baxter

Nonie & Doug Beal

Gayle Beyer

Hayle Black

Michelle Blessing

Kathy Brady

Linda Broker & Kate Bridgman

Mary Brown

Daphne & Martin Burlingame

Karole Campbell

Carol Cannon

Cynthia & Eileen Carter

Heidi Case

Lynn Cash

Susie Chambless

Clarke Family

Kristyn Cline

Catherine Creppon

Sandra Damm

Georgia Dean

Lucy Dean

Paulina Dean

Elizabeth & Warren Dean

Mari Deminski

Shannon Derbique

Marty & Tiffany Farrell

Finnerty Family

Holly Flores

Anne Marie Flynn

Jennifer & William Griffis

Denise Grimmett

Ellie Hall

Suzanne Holland

Karen & PJ Hollenbeck

Sheryl Hunter

Lisa F. Jackson

Susan & Ron Johnson

Lynette Jones

Kat Jorstad

Cay Jurgensen

Meg Kendall

Emily & Stephen Kim

Elisa Knutsen, M.D.

Linda Kopman

Sherry Landwehr

Julie & Steve Lawton

Linda Leitz

Lani Manning

Cheryl Marcus, M.D.

Susan Martz

Linda Max

Robyn & Adam Mayer

Anne McCready

Marion Meyer

Marilyn Miller

Andrea Miller & Sanja Bahtnager

Liz & Michael Moore

Gloria Murphy

Tom Noonan

Diana Norton

Shawn Palko

Tammy Palmer

Madalienne Peters & Bix Neward

Stacy Poore

Sharon Regier

Ina Remus

Ingrid Richter

Janet Rose

Susie Runyan

Margaret Satterfield

Joan & Dutch Schulz

Carol Scott

Sally Sharpe

Mary Lou Shearn

Tom Shepard

Margie Grace & John Shethar Tamara Shuminsky

Lisa & Gurney Sloan

Andrea Smith & Abby Leopold Gary & Tina Snyder

Robin Spaulding

Sue Spradley Will Stoller-Lee

Sharon Stone

Susan Strasbaugh

Kathy & George Stults

Beth Tamm

Maggie Turner

Emily Ulrich

Mary Anne Walldorf

Annabel Widney

Tommie Wise

Kathleen Yasumura

Mike Young

Elizabeth Youngquist

Sally Ziegler

Betty Fulton

Fran Pilch

Circle of Support members are an ever-growing community of film lovers that support our year-round programming!

Lori Cohen Endowment Fund

A LASTING LEGACY

A long-time supporter of women’s film, Dr. Lori Cohen left a substantial estate gift to RMWF and created the Lori Cohen Endowment Fund (LCE). Through gifts to the fund, you’ll join Lori in guaranteeing that RMWF receives a steady income stream each and every year, in perpetuity.

From its inception, Dr. Cohen was a regular at the Friday night openings and always on for the Saturday and Sunday films as long as she could work in a run during the lunch break!

The serious side of the films always touched the warm and thoughtful side of Lori. However, she really enjoyed the quirky, humorous films as well. Lori’s comment afterward was always, “See. Girls can be funny as well!”

We are eternally grateful to Lori for this gift, which helps ensure RMWF will continue forward for generations to come. To learn more about planned giving and how to leave your legacy contact:

Linda Broker 719.226.0450 linda@rmwfilm.org