Ms. Films has relocated to Austin, TX, where we are continuing in our mission of showcasing independent film by women and offering curated screening programs throughout the area. If you'd like to get involved, volunteer, submit a film, or would just like to get to know us better, drop a line! If you have a venue or event you'd like us to screen at, we'd love to hear from you, too.

We are interested in any topic or genre and specifically are looking for films to include in a queer film program and a horror program.

Published and distributed by Parcell Press, we are very excited about the 3rd edition of the Ms. Films DIY Guide to Film & Video. Printed in high quality, spiral bound, and easy to use. Get your own.
Wholesale is also available for organizations, film festivals, schools, retailers, etc. Contact us for rates and info.

New Review in the current issue of Bitch Magazine!
Retaining the look of the cut-and-paste zine from which it originates, this 100-page compendium of articles and resources is written in a warm, direct style.  Because much of the information is more general than technical, the majority of the Guide is geared toward a beginning- or intermediate-level filmmaker, although there's helpful info here for experts, too.  The Guide's how-to contents cover a range of topics, including scriptwriting, planning a drive-in screening, using the Super-8 medium, and even a tutorial on camera-free filmmaking in which Pat Doyen explains the practice of creating art directly on top of film stock itself.  In 'Organize Your Own Festival,' Guide editor and Ms. Films captain Arbabi shares advice garnered from five years of planning her own annual event.  The mission of Ms. Films is to 'empower women and girls through access to media and media-maki9ng' and the Guide makes good on that by providing not only ideas, but plenty of references, including websites, zines, books, and a short list of notable lady directors that looks like it came right out of a '60s textbook."  - Anna Breshears

Review in Clamor Magazine
Check out any film list these days - the American Film Institute's 100 Best American Movies, or an Oscar history of Best Picture nominees - and what you may already suspect will be quickly confirmed: Films by women are conspicuously absent. Beeban Kidron, director of Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) once said that film is the telling of our stories - and given that women make up less than ten percent of all directors, it's alarming how few of our stories are shaping the cultural psyche.

The essayists of the Ms. Films DIY Guide more than recognize the need to motivate women to express themselves as the creators of cinematic narrative. While the guide will be useful for any burgeoning filmmaker (regardless of gender), the number of essays authored by women is particularly inspiring for the female auteur - as is the story of Ms. Films, a non-profit organization that gives women the tools to break into filmmaking. They've grown from a small event to a buzzed-about annual festival and overall resource center for women creating media.  

The tone to this zine-styled guide is uncommon to the more conventional "introduction to film" books. It's insiderly, almost conspiratorial, initiating conversations that digress from formal film subjects as story rights and storyboards, timecode and lighting, marketing and post-production (though some of these traditional topics are touched upon too).  Pat Doyen's article on cameraless filmmaking explores the process of scratching and painting on film directly - a win-win medium for filmmakers operating on a low budget who are especially interested in the experimental. Later, Doyen presents a thoroughly readable and rousing overview of Super-8 film, from its perks (cheap, accessible, distinctive) to how to shoot with it (lots of light!) to how to edit it, à la DIY (project the film onto a white surface while taping it with a video camera). These essays are a highly creative and fun supplement to standard textbook fare, and offer adventuresome, road-less-traveled approaches for the filmmaking novice, from organizing your own DIY Drive-In to practical strategies for fundraising.

If these pages have a weakness (aside from the occasional typo and weirdly out-of-date filmography of women directors), it's that the edition is too brief. Specifically, I was expecting more first-person articles like Lenn Keller's production diary of her film Sightings (1995 ) in which she explores the epic multitasking and roller-coaster reality of making a film. (There's also the pure, vicarious buzz for the reader when our struggling filmmaker shoots the killer scene or casts the perfect lead...). Yet however slim this volume may be, it's crammed with ideas, springboards, reference books, a list of film festivals and film festival tips. In short: viva la Ms. Films! For more information, visit their website at msfilms.org.
- Michelle Humphrey

**NOTE: Michelle makes a good point about both our filmography needing an update and more first-person narratives. If you are interested in contributing to a future edition of the DIY Guide, e-mail Niku at msfilms @ hotmail.com.

Zineworld
Niku has edited one of the best comp zines I've seen in quite awhile. It succeeds as an instruction manual for aspiring filmmakers in all aspects. There are articles on all sorts of subjects that will make readers excited to make their own film, even if they'd never thought to prior to reading this zine. Everything you need to know is here: Super 8 films (this article is the best I've seen anywhere on the subject, too), writing scripts, submit-ting your film to festivals, and more plus a great resource list and glossary of terms in the back. Get this even if you don't think you're interested in making films because you will be after reading it. – Claire

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