More than 30 years ago we began as the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival. Over time, as our programming grew beyond the once-a-year festival, we sought out a more encompassing moniker and chose Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Institute.
This year, as part of a larger visual rebrand and a revisiting of our mission, we’ve changed our name once again. (Third time’s the charm, right?) From now on, you can simply refer to us as Rocky Mountain Women’s Film.
We may have changed our name, but our mission hasn’t changed — it’s expanded!
Mission
To build community around film, elevating the stories of women and others who are often unheard or unseen.
As a women-led nonprofit, we seek to discover, support, connect and inspire filmmakers, while cultivating connection and conversation around their work. This shortened name reflects our love of film and sharing that love with our community. We remain dedicated to providing you curated stories through films that compel, entertain, touch, inspire and provoke through our year-round programming and our marquee event, Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival.
In addition, we adopted a new vision for Rocky Mountain Women’s Film that encompasses our beliefs as an organization.
New Vision
We believe that an authentic story — driven by women and others who are often unheard or unseen — has the power to spark new levels of empathy and understanding, stimulate constructive discourse, and lead to cultural and community connection through awakening new ideas, entertaining and delighting audiences, and pushing creative boundaries. We believe that experiencing this wider breadth of stories is important to a healthy and thriving culture for all people.
Our new brand — including the new graphics, language and design you’ll find on our website and in our marketing — was built around the foundational beliefs that drive our organization.
WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF THE FEMALE LENS
As people who identify as women in our culture, we believe that we have a lens that is naturally attuned and attentive to the wider range of experiences and the associated stories from and about oppressed, historically marginalized or outside-the-mainstream people.
Our female lens cultivates a greater awareness of the way that sexism works alongside racism, anti-religious hatred, ableism or homophobia, creating complex forms of prejudice and oppression. In short, we have an eye for the filmmakers and stories that can shape a more connected, empathetic culture.
WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF FILM AS OUR PLATFORM
We. Love. Film! Film is one of the most accessible, inclusive and engaging forms of art, experienced by people in most walks of life regardless of context. Films can change our mood — make us laugh, cry, gasp, swoon. They can change our mind — bring up questions, show us a different angle, provoke a conversation. They entertain us and capture our imaginations. They transport us to another world; they shine a light on the issues plaguing ours. As a film organization, we want to cultivate the joy of experiencing film and harness the power of films that help people communicate and connect with each other around that shared experience.
WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF OUR WOMEN-LED CULTURE
We are inspired by the womanist movement, with a perspective on women as universalists, cultivating a garden in which all flowers can bloom equally, across gender identification, race and class. Our organization was founded by and will continue to be led by women, because we believe in the unique power, connection and strength of women in community.
Written by Kirsten Akens
