The Women Film Pioneers Project invites scholars working on women
filmmakers of the silent era to two upcoming organizational meetings:
 
1)  San Diego, Monday, April 6, 8-9am.  Breakfast meeting at the SCS
conference, Hyatt Hotel, La Jolla, Room Portofino B.  (Continental
breakfast a la carte.)
 
2)  New York, Saturday, April 18, 12:30-1:30 pm.  Lunch meeting at the
American Museum of the Moving Image, preceding the 2pm screening of
Dorothy Davenport's *Linda*.  (You must RSVP by April 8 to reserve a
complimentary lunch.)
 
The Women Film Pioneers Project was begun in 1994 as a collaborative effort to
 advance current
international research on the achievements and history of women filmmakers from
 the early
years through the coming of sound.  Involving film scholars, archivists,
 artists, producers,
distributors, and exhibitors, the Women Film Pioneers Project is dedicated to
 research,
preservation, and public exhibition of the work of early women filmmakers.
 
The Women Film Pioneers Project is based at Duke University, where it is chaired
 by Professor
Jane Gaines and coordinated by graduate assistant Jennifer Parchesky.  The
 Project is directed by
a national steering commitee and supported by the Duke Program in Film and Video
 and
contributions from Kristin Bishop MacDermott, the Lucille S. Thompson Family
 Foundation,
and other contributors.
 
SCOPE:
At present, our focus is on international women directors prior to 1927.  We are
 also extending
our efforts to include some of the women who developed significant bodies of
 work as
screenwriters, producers, or actors during the silent era, as well as the
 efforts of women who
pioneered new developments or national cinemas in the early sound era.
 Recognizing that films
once lost, forgotten, or misattributed are constantly being rediscovered and
 identified, we
welcome information about other filmmakers whose work should be included in the
 project.
 
MISSION:
     To facilitate research on the work of women film pioneers by collecting and
 sharing
     information about archival resources, current scholarship, and funding
 sources.
     To encourage collaboration among scholars by providing forums for
 discussion and a
     clearinghouse for information.
     To advance knowledge about the important contributions of women in film
 history
     through exhibitions, presentations, and publications.
     To support preservation efforts by working with the Women's Film
 Preservation Fund
     and by identifying films in need of preservation and restoration.
     To increase public access to the films of women pioneers by assisting
 teachers and
     exhibitors in locating circulating prints and working with distributors
 such as Women
     Make Movies and the MOMA Circulating Library to make more prints available.
 
CURRENT PROJECTS:
     Exhibition: We are co-sponsoring the Women Film Pioneers retrospective and
 speaker
     series at the American Museum of the Moving Image in New York, April 11-26,
 1998.
     Filmography, Archival Holdings, and Exhibitor's Guide: a massive list of
 the known
     works of women film pioneers, including information about prints available
 in archives,
     circulating collections, and on video.
     Bibliography of articles, books, and documentaries about women film
 pioneers and
     related subjects.
 
Our ongoing electronic discussion list is [log in to unmask]
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 subscribe
pioneers
 
For more information or to get involved with the Women Film Pioneers Project,
 please contact
 
Jennifer Parchesky, Coordinator
Women Film Pioneers Project
Film and Video Program
Box 90671
Duke University
Durham, NC 27708-0671
email: [log in to unmask]
Phone 919-660-3030
Fax 919-684-3598
 
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