Emerging Women Filmmakers Obtain Opportunity with New Program

March ushers in an exciting moment for Washington filmmakers and cinephiles alike as Emergence Films closes applications (and vets participants) for their debut Emerging Filmmakers Program.

This is an opportunity for women filmmakers of all backgrounds to gain career experience and guidance from co-founders Sienna Beckman and Rachel Noll James, who collectively have decades of professional experience with credits ranging from independent darlings to entertainment giants like HBO. The program is open to any woman 18 years or older who resides in the state of Washington. Besides a few addendums related to the number of professional credits an applicant has, the program is inclusive of identities, treating women not as a monolith but as a spectrum of experiences. Their call does not limit genre, save that they’re looking for films that will have a positive cultural impact.

Emergence Films developed this program as a response to a frustration with an increasingly insular film industry. With dreams of fostering a community of creatives supporting creatives both near and far, the Emerging Filmmakers Program presents an exciting alternative to mainstream Hollywood cinema. It also provides an opportunity to nurture and showcase films made by creators who identify as women, who—despite having been part of cinema’s history since its earliest days—still only represent a fraction of the workforce behind the scenes. Emergence Films is trying to change that. Not just by making independent films, but by changing the way women participate in their development. They’re focused on “early career” women—trying not to focus on age, but rather on experience, to give more people the opportunity. According to their mission statement, Emergence Films is committed to sustainability, equitable storytelling, ethical business practices, and (now) teaching a new generation of filmmakers. 

Elaine May behind the camera

Criterion Collection

I had the privilege of speaking with co-founder Rachel Noll James to discuss the Emerging Filmmakers Program as well as the importance of representation and not-for-profit art. 

Izzy C. (IC): Can you tell me a little bit about your background?

Rachel Noll James (RNJ): I lived and worked in LA for 13 years. I started off as an actor—I’m still an actor—but I quickly learned that the actor grind of driving all over creation, sitting in rooms, and driving all the way home, and having these tiny little roles that you audition for…it wore me down…I needed a way to creatively empower myself because I was feeling creatively disempowered by the whole process of the working actor life. So, I taught myself how to screenwrite…and that kind of opened up this new world of self creating… We need to forge new pathways for stories to be created and then shared.

IC: This year, the program is limited to Washington. But it sounds like you want to broaden it to be national?

RNJ: Yeah, we would love it to ultimately be national, but we’re trying to pace ourselves and it’s just the two of us and not bite off more than we can chew. The goal is to start with Washington, expand nationally, then eventually, we’d love it to be a program that invites women from all countries to apply.

IC: Is there anything else you’d like to say about the program, or about Emergence Films, or any ire you would like to direct at the world in general?

RNJ: I’d just like to say that something that is very much woven into this program and our ethos as a company is there’s been a lot of scarcity in terms of opportunity—it’s me or you…only one of us gets a shot—we’re trying to change that competitive me or you narrative. In my experience, the more we help other women, the more we support and champion each other, the more we all rise. And so with this program, our goal is that over time, these women, as they start making films and go out into the world…they’ll ideally come back as mentors. Our hope is to make a regenerative community of women uplifting each other.

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The conversation of representation unfortunately keeps being a necessary one. In the midst of federal and state attacks on DEI initiatives, it feels necessary to once again assert the importance of diverse art (and artists). As women have risen in other fields, film remains equitably stagnant outside of acting. The Celluloid Ceiling has been tracking women employed in the top-grossing films for 26 years; 2023 saw a decline in numbers. “The percentage of women working on the top 100 films decreased one percentage point from 22% in 2022, to 21% in 2023…women accounted for 16% of directors working on the 250 films in 2023, down 2 percentage points from 18% in 2022.” 

image via LinkedIn

Why does this matter? Can’t stories that empower women be told by anyone? While this is sometimes the case—writers and creators are certainly capable of imagining beyond the bounds of their lived experiences—it is not the same. In an article written by Dr. Nadal, a professor of psychology, he explores the duality of representation.

For those who feel isolated and alone by their identities, it can be validating to see yourself represented in tv, film, and social media. Why? Because that means you aren’t as alone as you think you are. Someone out there wrote someone like you. We have seen this most recently with support communities forming online, particularly within the LGBTQ+ communities. On the other end of the spectrum, Dr. Nadal also cites studies that show that exposure to identities different than your own makes you more receptive to different cultures/peoples. 

In short, when we don’t see ourselves represented in art, we feel unwelcome and isolated. Alternatively, when we only see ourselves, we become more capable of bigotry.

Now more than ever, initiatives like the Emerging Filmmakers are so important. If we want art that is varied, nuanced, and diverse, that means having diverse artists. This program is a good reminder that we don’t need any particular industry’s permission to make valid art. And more often than not, that means creating our own opportunities within our own communities. 

While applications are currently closed for this year, I am excited to meet this new wave of storytellers. If you are as well, keep an eye out for our upcoming interview with the program’s selected filmmaking teams. And hopefully, Emergence Films will continue to create such opportunities for women not just here in Washington, but all over the world.