rePROFilm Podcast

COLLECTIVE LENS: Cycle 2

• Season 2

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Today, we mark the anniversary of the Dobbs decision with an insightful podcast featuring members from the second cohort of the rePROFilm and Peace is Loud Collective Lens Program. We’re joined by some truly inspiring storytellers who are here to remind us that we’ll never stop fighting for reproductive justice - especially through a means as powerful as media;  And why it is so important as a filmmaker to think about impact, and what that means to you, through a holistic lens. We’re so thrilled to have spent the better part of the last year with these phenomenal makers and to champion their films. Thanks to all of them for joining us and thank you for listening - we hope it offers you a glimmer of hope!

Hosted by Asha Dahya featuring filmmakers: 

rePROFilm | @reprofilm   •   Peace is Loud | @peaceisloud

Support the show

Learn more at reprofilm.org or follow us at @reprofilm. The rePROFilm Podcast is executive produced by mamafilm. Looking forward to bringing you our next conversation!

00;00;01;13 - 00;00;26;29
Kenyetta Johnson, Pros & Cons
My experience participating in this year's cohort has just been absolutely amazing. It's been rewarding, fulfilling. It has just made me feel a lot better about current state of the world and knowing that there are not only filmmakers, but just people in general who who care a lot about reproductive justice and making sure that like stories that aren't often told are told and are being told.

00;00;26;29 - 00;00;32;15
Kiah Clingman, Her Pretty Vagina
And I've learned that impact isn't really it's not just a buzzword, it's an entire strategy.

00;00;32;16 - 00;00;49;27
Kelsey Ianuzzi, Show Me The Line
My definition of impact has changed through the Collective Lens program to think of what the project can become, even if it's not seen by a million people. And what does transformative impact really look like?

00;00;49;29 - 00;02;11;02
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Welcome back to another special episode of the rePROfilm Podcast. I’m your host, Asha Dahya, and it’s been a minute since I’ve been on the rePROfilm airwaves, but I’m excited to be back for this special episode. Today, we’re so happy to introduce you to some of the 2025 Collective Lens cohort participants. Now, in case you aren’t yet familiar with what this program is, let me fill you in. Collective Lens is a program of rePROfilm and Peace is Loud. It’s a community space to support filmmakers who are telling reproductive justice stories of all kinds. And this is the second year of the program.
 
 The 2025 cohort includes features, shorts, fiction, documentary finished and in development projects, and, of course, an incredible group of filmmakers behind the stories. Today, I’ll be joined by Peace Is Loud Program Lead for Learning and Filmmaker Outreach, Florencia Varela, who you may remember from last year’s episode.
 
 While the program is a partnership of our organizations, we at rePROfilm like to refer to Florencia a.k.a. Flo as the True Impact Alchemist. She knows this stuff, so we’ve invited her here today to give us some more details. Welcome, Flo. It’s so great to have you on the podcast. Even greater to call you a partner in this program. So tell us all about Collective Lens.

00;02;11;04 - 00;02;31;13
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
Hi, Asha. Thank you so much for having me here again. Well, Collective Lens, through our partnership with rePROfilm, is a six month virtual program. What we welcome this year was 11 films to participate, and that included values driven impact training, as well as a $3,000 unrestricted grant for each specific project.

00;02;31;20 - 00;02;41;06
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Oh, that's so great. And listen, as a filmmaker myself, I know how important community and cash is when making an impact driven film. So what does the program entail?

00;02;41;09 - 00;03;06;18
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
So the program included skill sharing sessions where we cover things like what is the impact to begin with? What is film impact? We also did case study presentations. We also brought in special guests, do Q&A specifically around fundraising and distribution. And we also did what we call community building sessions. This cohort also was different because it was our second cohort. So we also try to bring in filmmakers from the first cohort to start building our little village a little bit.

00;03;06;21 - 00;03;19;21
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
I feel like we all need to cultivate our villages right now, especially the way the industry is now. Impact is such a loaded word in the film industry. How can you explain it in ways that is easy to understand for someone listening?

00;03;19;28 - 00;04;12;08
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
So basically our ten second impact fundamental here goes. At Peace Is Loud, we truly believe that impact is larger than just the impact campaign, and that impact should then be braided into every stage of filmmaking. It’s not just the what, but it’s also the how. So it can be the what’s like, what story, what are we saying? What are we telling? But also how is the story being told? How is it being positioned in solidarity with social justice? Impact then becomes that large a practice, a practice that is driven by ethics and care, and that should accompany a filmmaker’s artistic practice?
 
 I think in terms of this program and the experiment we embarked on really two cohorts ago when we first started was to wonder what it would be like to put together a cohort where we asked ourselves those questions, where we centered impact, and when we offered dedicated space for filmmakers to think about these things, to consider them, and to also community build around it.

00;04;12;11 - 00;04;25;07
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
I love that concept of impact as an artistic practice, especially in this area. That's definitely given me something to think about. And of course, to be able to support fiscally is a cherry on top for this program, I'm sure.

00;04;25;09 - 00;05;04;11
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
Oh, absolutely. We all know how hard funding and fundraising is, and especially for film impact work. You know, we're talking about film funding to begin with is difficult. And then in the film and then it's documentary and then it's the film impact within that like barriers to fundraising. So we're overall we're very proud that we've been able to support 21 projects across two cohorts with impact tools, but also with over $60,000 worth of support. And I really have to underscore how crucial it was to work with a funder who really understood that, who really understood that it wasn't just the artist support components and the artist development and the community building, but also the financial support as well.

00;05;04;14 - 00;05;14;21
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Yes. And can I just say that having more non restrictive grants is something we need to see more of? Because I know as applying for a grant can be so burdensome and it can turn people off.

00;05;14;27 - 00;05;56;11
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
Absolutely. Preach for Lela and I, you know, when we first came up with this experiment, with this pilot program, we were dead set on the ground being unrestricted because, yes, those microgram could be applied towards the impact campaign or the class of an impact producer. But also more and more, what we noticed was the filmmakers needed to once pay themselves and not to mention there were barriers to participation. Some filmmakers utilize that for caregiving. Some filmmakers use that for the impact campaign. So the way we saw it was that we wanted to look at our filmmakers as people with full lives, and we wanted to figure out what it would mean to have, even if it took a drop in the bucket of funding, to have those financial resources, to offer them the time and space to just be present with the work. The grant ended up supporting different things, but we wanted to at the very least approach it in an unrestricted way that would allow us to welcome them as full people.

00;05;56;16 - 00;06;14;20
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
I love to hear that. I think it's really great that you empower these filmmakers to use the finance as they see fit, so that's really great and every little bit counts. But beyond just financial, what's being created by bringing together a like minded cohort of storytellers is also really wonderful. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

00;06;14;22 - 00;06;41;27
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
Absolutely. You know, we're really hoping to nurture systems of support that storytellers will carry with them beyond just the program in terms of strategies, but also their relationships. Filmmaking, impact and distribution. It's all very difficult right now. It's hard work and the barriers are high, and especially for films that are out reproductive justice. So the cohort model really allowed us to look at it again in this holistic way. Like without thinking holistically, it feels like we're totally screwed.

00;06;41;29 - 00;06;59;11
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Yep. And speaking of screwed, when you started the program this cycle, it was October of 2024, is that correct? And there was a feeling of hopelessness for the future of repro rights in the U.S. in the year when you all came together, can you take me back to that traumatic moment?

00;06;59;14 - 00;07;32;08
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
Oh, man. It's like the elephant in the womb. Our very first welcome session was in October of 2020 for like a few weeks before the election. And whether folks thought they knew what was going to happen or didn't know what was going to happen. I still think there was at least a 1% of hope in the air. And then the second time we met, which was our what we call our impact fundamentals, but we cover like what is the impact? How do you put together an impact campaign? That was, I think, the week after the election. And yeah, it was a different world. It was a different world on all levels.

00;07;32;10 - 00;07;39;27
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
I mean, just the space between those first two meetings must have felt like a whole world apart, like a whole year had passed between.

00;07;39;28 - 00;09;28;18
Flo Varela, Peace Is Loud
Absolutely right. It was a rough time. And I think what was really interesting to observe is that most people showed up to that second session, and I remember that and we were all just getting to know each other. But somehow there was this instinct for deep connection and also a shared sense of grief and determination and purpose. I know on my on my end, selfishly, I know it helped me a lot to be in a room of filmmakers who are values aligned. And overall, what we heard in that room, even as we were covering, I would say content, right?
 
 Capital B content, we’re talking, we’re defining impact, we’re covering how you build a strategy. All these things. Folks were engaged in the work, they were engaged with each other given the context, I think it was just a good room to be in. Yeah, it goes back to that sense of community we talked about, you know, in the wake of this earth shattering 2024 presidential election result which resounded around the world.
 
 So it was not just us here, it was everyone feeling it. So I think that’s really important. And now here we are, three years out since the DOJ’s decision, which of course overturned Roe v Wade in 2022. And as painful, as scary as the world is right now, and of course, the United States, what we’re seeing happening, it’s so heartening to know that there are people who are not willing to give up the fight, including these filmmakers, and today I’m just really excited that we’re going to get to hear from seven of the 11 participating films and the second cohort from a documentary that was made in the late sixties whose filmmakers are still making sure that film gets out in the world to an incredible TV done in Mexico. The very idea experiences of these storytellers were so inspiring to Lela and I to rePRO and Peace Is Loud.
 
 We wish we could share with you more than these short clips, but we definitely urge everyone to follow all of these projects which are linked in the show notes. All of these films and these filmmakers not only give me hope for the future, but they sincerely give me hope for the right now.

00;09;28;20 - 00;09;58;12
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
I love that. And I just love the intergenerational aspect, you know, different age groups. That’s really exciting to hear, especially for female filmmakers as well.  Well, thank you so much, Flo, for joining me today and sharing all these insights.
 So now let’s hear from some of this year’s collective lens participants on how they came to their stories in the first place. Here’s Kiah Klingman, writer and director of a short film with one of our favorite titles. Definitely one of my favorite titles, Her Pretty Vagina.

00;09;58;15 - 00;11;52;14
Kiah Clingman, Her Pretty Vagina

Her Pretty Vagina is a very personal story to me. I it's rooted in my own real life, real lived experience. I have lived with endometriosis since I was about 13 or 14 years old, and I was also diagnosed with HPV. And for a long, long time I did not talk about either. There's so much shame we as women feel silenced. One weird having conversations about reproductive health, especially for people of color. And honestly, I carried that for years with endometriosis. The pain is literally and completely debilitating. And I've had days where I can't go to work, I can't get out of bed, I can't think straight. But I still felt like I had to just push through and not make a big deal out of it. And with HPV, even though it's super common and so many of women have it, we we never talk about it. And it still carries this heavy stigma because it's considered an STI. And yeah, I was tired of suffering in silence. And I wanted to tell a story that reflected the reality of so many of us. Women go through behind closed doors, physically, emotionally, spiritually. And so, yeah, her pretty vagina is a messy, raw, dark comedy that's honest because that's what living with these conditions actually feels like. And I wanted to create something that was relatable. I wanted to create something that says, You are not alone, your pain is real, and there is someone out there who can truly empathize with you even when you feel like they're there. Isn't. That message would have meant everything to me years ago, so I'm just hoping that it finally lands for someone else now.

00;11;52;17 - 00;12;14;25
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Something we've learned at Repro Film is that nearly all of the stories we connect with are rooted in someone's real life experience and the desire to support others in similar situations. And it's no different for Jane Pink, Karen Weinstein and Mary Summers, the filmmakers behind the short documentary. Abortion and Women's Rights 1970. Here's Jane.

00;12;14;28 - 00;13;36;19
Jane Pincus, Abortion & Women's Rights 1970
We were all living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the 1960s, which was a really exciting place to be. It seemed like a lot of endeavors were opening up, and among them, the civil rights movement, the anti-graft movement and the women's movement were all beginning. As women were beginning to get together at least two times. A number of women came. Up to me because. My husband was a filmmaker. Ed Pincus, and he was just beginning the filmmaking department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology at MIT. He had access to film and to editing machines at that point, and we became the group of filmmakers who never having shot a film, really knowing nothing about what we were doing, decided to make a film about women who had no choice, who had abortions, and along the course of the way, we decided to create a film that had an analysis of the reasons why women's reproductive health care is so poor. And that's how our film began. And we all had a great feeling of hope and making hope out of. Sometimes tragic. Events.

00;13;36;22 - 00;13;41;04
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
And Karen came to the project based on her own tragic experience.

00;13;41;06 - 00;15;01;27
Karen Weinstein, Abortion & Women's Rights 1970
I became involved because I had had an illegal abortion, and it was not a good experience. My hands were tied. I was in a locked office and very little anesthetic. So it was an experience that stayed with me for years. So I joined with the hope that illegal abortions would become legal and that women would not have to die from illegal abortions or get sick or sterile any of the things that were going on. It took me a while to realize that what I had gone through was really dreadful. Once I understood that, I became more motivated to help other women. And this film was really important in terms of being able to talk about things that women were not in other areas talking about it. Abortion was still considered shameful. And I really wanted that to change. And becoming involved in the film was one way to help make that happen.

00;15;01;29 - 00;15;06;14
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Mary explains what happened next. That changed the trajectory of their film.

00;15;06;17 - 00;16;21;28
Mary Summers, Abortion & Women's Rights 1970
Hawaii was the only state in the union where it was. Abortion was legal when we started, and then Colorado authorized a right to abortion, but with a lot of restrictions. And then New York passed a bill where it was a woman and her doctor that could make the decision, which was considered incredibly radical at the time. So we hoped that the film would become this, you know, tool that people could use for organizing state by state to bring women's voices and experience into those debates. So we finished the film maybe early 1971. By 73, everything changed with the Roe v Wade decision, and all of a sudden abortion was legal. And the whole point of our film, which was this is a terrible thing, what women have been facing in a situation where abortion was not legal. All of a sudden, the most important message to get out was that a legal abortion can be a safe, non traumatic experience. So that showing our film at that point was no longer very useful. We just didn't work on distribution that much. We each of us, went our separate ways.

00;16;21;28 - 00;17;19;16
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
All of the women remained active in the movement in some way. And then about 15 years ago, they got the band back together after the Dubs decision. The film’s sustaining relevance found new meaning and they are back at it, making screenings happen. This also serves as a timely reminder that recording history via storytelling remains critical. And for better and worse, history does repeat itself.
 
 As Flo mentioned earlier, the generational diversity of this year’s cohort was exceptional, and so were the project stages. This is honestly my favorite aspect of the program and a reminder that it is never too late. You are never too late to make films and tell your stories from films that were released in the 1970s to films that are in development or are just beginning their audience building journeys, it’s clear that impact has no prescribed time for him.
 
 Here is Kenyetta Johnson from the fiction short, “Pros & Cons,” a timely story highlighting young black people’s fears of having children.

00;17;19;18 - 00;18;49;13
Kenyetta Johnson, Pros & Cons
My experience participating in this year's cohort has just been absolutely amazing. It's been rewarding, fulfilling. It has just made me feel a lot better about the current state of the world and knowing that there are not only filmmakers, but just people in general who care a lot about reproductive justice and making sure that like stories that aren't often told are told and are being told. And I think with joining the cohort now, we're thinking like, okay, how can we make sure that the people that we want to see this film are seeing this film? How do we make sure that, like this is now used as a resource that can educate and also spark conversations where we can fully focus on the impact and fully focus on where we want to take this film next. And I feel that being surrounded by so many great filmmakers and to hear how they've taken their films and where they plan on taking it in the future and how they're operating, it makes like the juices in my brain start to, like, melt and think about how we can take it to the next step as well. So I think with this stage of filmmaking, the possibilities are endless and it has like rejuvenated where we can go next with this. I think we are really locking in to the potential of what this film can be and seeing where we can take it.

00;18;49;16 - 00;19;08;26
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
We love to hear this and we feel the same way. The experience of sharing time together with a cohort of filmmakers fills our souls.
 
 The team from the award winning short doc Outcry Alchemists of Rage gives us perspective on the various stages and impact campaign can take. Here’s director Clare Major.

00;19;08;28 - 00;19;28;09
Clare Major, Outcry: Alchemists of Rage
The timing of this cohort Has aligned wonderfully. We joined the first collective lens meeting from my phone as Whitney and I were driving between impact screenings actually on our what we called a radical road trip ahead of the 2024 election.

00;19;28;12 - 00;19;35;28
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Here’s producer Rivkah Beth Medow on how the cohort is helping to shape their future impact work by reflecting on the past.

00;19;36;00 - 00;21;31;06
Rivkah Beth Medow, Outcry: Alchemists of Rage
I think about an art path for a film and then an impact path. And the Collective Lens cohort has put us together with a group of like minded filmmakers and really helped me expand my definition of impact. And with our team, be able to review the work that we've done around impact and appreciate it. I think look at it from a lens of abundance instead of like, Oh, we weren't able to do this, this and this. To reframe what we were able to do has been so powerful. It's something that I haven't done. I'm actually kind of embarrassed to say because I've done a few impact campaigns, and until this cohort hadn't really stopped and taken the time with my team to appreciate all of the work that we have been able to accomplish. So now the question of like, where are we on our impact campaign? Were our team is asking each other those questions. What's really deeply meaningful to each of us. I think this taking time in this cohort, listening to the ways that people have put their film out and. The way people are thinking of doing it, it's. It's been really helpful to imagine like the, you know, do we want to do something really broad? Why do we want to do something really targeted? You know, where does where does it feel the best for all of us? And then that other question, where do we say our nose feels like permission to be able to say no, which feels frustrating to even like think of especially as a woman, you know, I want to be able to be like, Yeah, I say no and draw boundaries all the time. But this cohort has helped strengthen those muscles.

00;21;31;08 - 00;22;07;27
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
We love this so much. It’s really important to think of practicing impact as both a way to share your story with the world and also a way to center yourself and your team as storytellers, really thinking about important outcomes and also what each person’s capacity is.
 
 Here Kelsey Ianuzzi, Director of the feature documentary “Show Me the Line” currently in post-production. The film shares the stories of families lives turned upside down after an Alabama court decided frozen embryos are children. It’s a timely and heady topic, but layered with impact opportunities

00;22;07;29 - 00;23;25;06
Kelsey Ianuzzi, Show Me The Line
My definition of impact has changed through the Collective Lens program. Really grounding myself to think of what the project can become, even if it's not seen by a million people. And what does transform that impact really look like? I think it's been helpful to explore different examples of impact and broaden that definition, to think about what is the depth of that impact and not just how many people we can reach, but like what is really the quality of the reach that we're getting? What is the change that we're inspiring and other people? And if it can be. Really. Meaningful to like five people versus 50 people see it and don't think about it ever again, you know, our resources are actually more impactful and meaningful if we focus on having a real transformative dialog with those five people. And maybe that's maybe that's all we need to reach, you know? So that's been really generative. Think about and discuss with the cohort.

00;23;25;08 - 00;23;42;29
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
This reframing of impact and audience is really critical to us at Repro Film. Impact shouldn't just be measured by a spreadsheet, but by strategically and collectively thinking about implementing those core elements of change. And as Kelsey explains, it's never too soon.

00;23;43;01 - 00;24;28;18
Kelsey Ianuzzi, Show Me The Line
When we joined the cohort, we were still in production. But I'm so glad that we joined when we did so that we could start having these conversations about impact and really think about who we're best poised to reach. And in the process of still making the film, can we think about our audience now? It's kind of like the beginning with the end in mind thing. The sooner that we can start strategizing and considering our impact, the greater chance we have at being successful at those impact goals. And I'm so glad that we started thinking about it when we did. And I would think even if we had started earlier, I wouldn't regret it.

00;24;28;21 - 00;24;43;13
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Another note we loved came from Lauren Santucci, director of Teddy and Oscar qualifying short documentary on the film festival circuit. Teddy tells the story of a male birth worker supporting pregnant people in Houston, Texas.

00;24;43;15 - 00;25;39;10
Lauren Santucci, Teddy
My definition of impact has changed throughout the Collective Lens program because I used to think that it was something that I had to do all on my own. And what I’ve really learned is that partnerships are really like the fuel. To your impact campaign and reaching out, connecting with the right people makes all the difference. And so it feels a lot less kind of overwhelming when, you know, I don’t feel like I have to. I think when I initially started, I felt like, well, I have to host my own event and it has to be timed perfectly with Black Maternal Health Week. I slowly came to realize how difficult hosting your own events can be, especially just as an individual filmmaker, and so an individual independent filmmaker and so kind of, you know, collaborating and partnering with organizations who are already doing this work in these spaces and seeing how your film can be useful to them has been a real eye opener and a real game changer for me and has opened up a lot of opportunities for my for my film to be seen.

00;25;39;13 - 00;26;15;13
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Just like the work of a doula like Teddy, impact is something you do not and should not have to do alone. And even if we don’t want to admit it, it’s impossible to do it without support from industry partners and funders who can help our stories reach audiences conventionally, unconventionally and in creative ways.
 
 Here’s Patricia Balderas Castro, director of the Mexican feature documentary. Now That We Are Together, which is about sexual harassment against girls and women, talking about one of the ways in which they connected with diverse audiences and thought about impact through an inclusivity lens.

00;26;15;16 - 00;29;15;16
Patricia Balderas Castro, Now That We Are Together
Currently, the movie now That We Are Together has an impact campaign called Don't Let US Separate. And it is a campaign that we started in 2023. We have the screenings in public spaces accompanied by bicycle rides and night walks. We have had educational activities for different audience after the screenings and we have also done micro workshops for Mehlville high school students. We have also designed tools like the Manual for an open dialog that contains basic information about the film, about a strict sexual harassment and activities that you can carry out after screening for 2025. The idea is to promote screenings with Mexican sign language, with descriptive audio for blind people because we already have these mediations for us. It is very important to talk with these communities that live in other contexts because that difference makes violence affect them in a different way. I think something that could spur filmmaker who have films with impact campaigns is to make more known what an impact campaign is. What implications it has for the filmmakers and their teams in terms of finances, work, lost, time invested, and to talk about the benefits it has for the concrete reality of the people in Mexico. We are just beginning to talk about impact campaigns. Therefore, there is little support to sustain them. The support comes from international organizations such as collective lands or from organizations that are related to their subject, which is not new. But there could be much more support if people knew a little more about what an impact campaign is. Sometimes people think that cinema can transform just by watching the film, but many times I film changed your life because you were able to have a space for dialog with other people. After watching that screening, maybe you have access to another complementary activity and that activity does not support itself. There is a team behind that work and there is funding that supports that team and that work. So talking more about impact campaigns within the industry and how film transforms reality through them is very important.

00;29;15;18 - 00;29;18;05
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
And here’s Kiah Clingman again.

00;29;18;07 - 00;31;34;24
Kiah Clingman, Her Pretty Vagina
Before this Collective Lens program, to be 100% honest, I did not even know what an impact campaign really was. I thought I knew. Don't get me wrong. I really thought I knew. I knew that I wanted people to feel something after watching the film, and I knew that I wanted them to take something away. I knew that just by doing my crowdfunding campaign that I was already getting inquiries from women in my DMS, like literally every day saying, Hey, oh my gosh, I have HPV, and I've never told anyone. I didn't think anyone else had it. I didn't think anyone else had the courage to talk about this. And I immediately knew that that was impact. But running an entire impact campaign, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And I've learned that impact isn't. It's not just a buzz word. It's an entire strategy. It's about intentionally thinking through who your film is for, how can the industry better support reproductive justice, storytellers and impact campaigns in the immediate future? Emphasis on immediate first fundus period. Look at collective lens as an example and follow their lead. You don't have to wait until a project is finished or has festival buzz or press to actually support it. We are out here doing the work and telling the stories, but this medium is is very difficult to sustain and filmmakers need support, whether it is financially or through a lab that is providing mentorship and resources and connections. We need support at the start in development during production, during post and especially after post when we get to that crucial time of distribution and marketing and then of course creating and funding an impact campaign. Our stories are sensitive, nuanced topics that take time and care and extra resources to be able to tell them responsibly. And so we need more folks like the women leading collective lens to get behind this movement and and help support and “put their money where their mouth is” like my mom would always say.

00;31;34;26 - 00;32;14;18
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Gone girl. Independent storytelling is hard enough as it is, and it's never been more important for funders to step up and help land these films in front of hungry audiences. The world. And this work can feel isolating. So building communities of like minded creatives is essential. We want to close this episode by thanking all of the filmmakers who shared their inspiring stories with us and with you guys, the audiences. We're lucky to be in community with you all. And as always, we want to end this pod with a sense of hope. Here's Abortion and Women's Rights: 1970s filmmaker Karen Weinstein with a lovely final sentiment.

00;32;14;21 - 00;33;06;14
Karen Weinstein,  Abortion & Women's Rights 1970
I still think sisterhood is powerful and there has been movement around women's representation. So you see more women in Congress, you see more women in the assembly, more women in local city councils, and they speak up. And I feel like that gives me hope at a number of times where I might be watching the news or TV and I hear a woman speaking and it's just so powerful makes me cry. I feel as if that's not going to change and in fact, that's going to get stronger. So my hope and my belief is that women will continue to have a voice and have a powerful voice, and that's what's going to help us win.

00;33;06;16 - 00;33;42;11
Asha Dahya, rePROfilm
Let us all never lose sight of how powerful our voices are and how much strength lies in bringing these voices together. Please check out the show notes for more information and links to these specific films and all of the films that are part of season two's cohort. We hope to be back to support more filmmakers, so make sure you follow @reprofilm and @peaceisloud on socials for more information soon. This show was written, edited and produced by the rePROfilm Team.   I’m Asha Dahya and on behalf of all of us at rePROfilm and Peace Is Loud, and for the 2025 Collective Lens cohort. Thank you for listening!


Show Notes:

Collective Lens 2025 Cohort:

rePROFilm | @reprofilm   •   Peace is Loud | @peaceisloud



People on this episode

Head Shot

Asha Dahya

Host