Smithsonian American Art Museum Presents Virtual Women Filmmakers Festival

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is presenting its third annual Women Filmmakers Festival exclusively online. The festival runs from March 1-21, in honor of Women’s History Month, and is supported by the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. With on-demand video screenings and live programming, this festival highlights a different, singularly-inspiring artist each week.

The festival, organized around the theme of “Her History Lessons,” features filmmakers who create works that look to the past for insights into today’s urgent issues. Considering the momentous events of 2020, the selected videos reflect on colonial histories and the growing climate crisis; legacies of artists, activists, and state repression; and more than a century of pandemics tied to social upheavals.

Featured artists include:

Cecilia Vicuña

Streaming Available March 1-7

Coco Fusco

Streaming Available March 8-14

Mariam Ghani

Streaming Available March 15-21

How to Participate: Virtual Women Filmmakers Festival at SAAM

Each week, on Monday, the Smithsonian American Art Museum will release a longer video work by the featured artist that will be available for viewing on the festival webpage at any time during the week. Viewers are encouraged to enjoy the film and submit questions and comments. These observations will be compiled and discussed in a live virtual conversation each Wednesday that features the filmmaker, Smithsonian curators, and additional shorter video works.