I was going to write about something else today but last night I went to the Women in Film holiday party (an organization that I am very active in) and I was so struck by the importance of community and mentorship in the documentary/independent film world that I decided to write about that instead.
I've mentioned how I feel an utter distaste for selling myself and my work. As such, one would think that I would absolutely hate attending these types of networking/celebratory events. However, I don't. I really love going and reconnecting with people in my work community who I haven't seen in a while, hearing what they are up to in all areas of their lives, meeting new people and connecting with them on many levels. It is at these occasions that I don't mind networking because the connections I make feel authentic to me; they are about relationships, not about what we can get from one another.
I have learned so much from my relationships with all the folks I work with and know through Women in Film and the film community. I love that we all can learn from each other and relate in all different places in our careers and age ranges.
This is especially important for me (and most other documentary filmmakers I know) as we generally work in vacuums, on our own, or with a couple of other people. We don't get much outside perspective and validation/identification from others who do what we do. It is so cathartic to share experiences with others in the "same boat" and pump each other up and comiserate when we need to.
As a female producer/director in my 40s, I find the creative work that I do and am attracted to as a viewer is not what is generally appreciated in the mainstream. While it certainly has a niche, and I think a strong one, it seems to be passed over consistently by the media gatekeepers. As a continual culture observer and an active participant in the media as a maker and a viewer, I'm simply stating what I have seen. It is for this main reason that I am so active in Women in Film; it is imperative that we, women (and men that support women created media) can get together and work, talk, mentor, and support one another's growth and change. We have to help each other get jobs and skills, and work together because no one else will. We have to work together so our voices will heard, our creative visions seen.
