Stephens College to host Citizen Jane Film Festival

COLUMBIA — Twenty six guest filmmakers will present their work as part of  Stephens College's 2nd Annual Citizen Jane Film Festival this weekend.

The festival puts a spotlight on women's films. It begins Friday night at Ragtag Cinema, 10 Hitt St.

In addition to the films, workshops will be held throughout the weekend. One workshop, hosted by Tiny Circus, will teach children to make films from their artwork. The completed project will be shown during the weekend events.

Sixteen percent of the top 250 grossing domestic films in 2008 featured female directors, producers, writers, cinematographers or editors, according to the Associated Press. Submissions for the festival grew by 2 percent this year, said Paula Elias, a co-director of the festival.

"I am so blown away by the vision of Citizen Jane Film Festival," Elias said.

Elias was involved last year and returned to help direct the 2009 festival with Kerri Yost and Polina Malikin, both seasoned filmmakers. 

"When we're not working on creating a film festival, we're making art," Yost said. 

Films appealing to a wide audience were chosen to reach a diverse demographic. The festival will host Molly Nemer, a 14-year-old filmmaker from Minneapolis speaking  for TVbyGIRLS, a nonprofit film workshop based in Minnesota. 

Barbara Wiener, executive director and mentor of TVbyGIRLS, said she has been working with girls for six years. Programs and workshops help young girls develop leadership skills and teach them that their voices and opinions matter, she said. 

Through a local friend, Wiener was introduced to the Citizen Jane Film Festival.

"It's a wonderful connection that continued to develop," Wiener said.

All weekend events are open to the public, and tickets may be purchased at Ragtag or on the festival's Web site.