Ode to the women of Feminist Film Collective Cinemien | Women of Cinemien, you are and always will be pioneers

This text was translated using AI and may contain errors. If you have suggestions or comments, please contact us at info.ode@amsterdammuseum.nl.

Dear Women of Feminist Film Collective Cinemien,

During the heyday of the second feminist wave, in the fall of 1974, you met at the Amsterdam Women's House, on Nieuwe Vrouwengracht, renamed Nieuwe Herengracht. There you recognized the need for more women in film production, distribution and screening. By distributing films made by women, you wanted not only to improve the position of women directors, but also to break the stereotypical representation of women in mainstream films and raise awareness of women's contributions to film culture.

With your own 16mm projector, you traveled town and country, from women's centers to cafes, schools and organizations. Every screening was accompanied by a discussion, led by the collective. Your films were not passive entertainment, but a starting point for conversation and awareness. Your mission was to inspire and empower women.

Film was your battle weapon. What began in that squatted building on the Amsterdam canal grew into a model organization that made its impact felt far beyond the Netherlands.

By bringing films by women filmmakers and film collectives from around the world, including the Global South, to the Netherlands, you gave international feminist thought a stage. A space was created where women could explore and share their images and perspectives, and where conversations could take place in a safe environment.

Thanks to your dedication, historical films by women filmmakers have not been forgotten. In film archives, you discovered that many early films by women had never found their way into the canon and were therefore 'lost'. You wanted to buy these 'forgotten' films, release them and bring them to attention.

Perhaps more importantly, thanks to you, women have learned that their stories matter, that their images have value and that their voices need to be heard. Your legacy, a carefully curated distribution collection now held at Eye Filmmuseum, remains an inspiration.

Women of Cinemien, you have been and continue to be pioneers. Thank you for all you have meant and continue to mean for women and women film professionals who are still fighting for gender equality and representation in the year 2024.

With kind regards,

Gerdien