a year in review – thank you!
Is it just us, or does it seem like every time you get to the end of the year and scroll back through your photos, it’s amazing what you’ve done in 360-some days? (Or quite possibly we just take too many photos…)
Last year, we decided to take mamafilm “on the road,” to join with other organizations and present unique cinematic offerings, meeting audiences where they are. It’s been quite a year! (You’ll see some of our many partners highlighted below.)
We continue to believe that the spirit of collaboration is the best way to forward our mission.
Thank you for believing in the power of on-screen storytelling as a way to affect hearts and minds.
All of your support goes directly to our artists, curators and partners.
As we head into our FIFTH year of curation and creation, stay tuned for unique experiences to come!
We wish you and yours a wonderful winter break and new year, and look forward to seeing you at a mamafilm event in 2023.
xoxox
Lela & the mamafilm team
a few highlights from 2022
- Served as one of 7 Satellite Screens for the 2022 Sundance Film Festival in Lawrence, Kansas
- Partnered with Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY, Wichita State University Office of Engagement and Wichita State Office of Diversity & Inclusion for a screening of the Haile Garima’s celebrated film SANKOFA and community conversation “Sankofa Film and the Black Emancipation”
- Celebrated Women’s History Month with The Thread, a women’s leadership collective, with a curated short film series titled “This is Her” – featuring films directed by women paired with food and wine
- Partnered with the Wichita Public Library and Fishtrap (
Enterprise, OR) to curate a short film series in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts’s Big Read selection The House on Mango Street; films centered coming-of-age experiences around the world - Presented our first Mise en Place / Mise en Scene, discovering culture, identity and flavor through cinema and cuisine, with the talented chefs from Odd Fellow Hall
- Produced our first short film, RUN AMOK (Directed by Nitzan Mager), which will premiere in 2023. The film presents an unconventional take on American teenagers trying to make sense of our absurd culture of gun violence
- Partnered with the Wichita Community Foundation to present a screening of the documentary STORM LAKE, and a conversation centering “The Future of Local Journalism” and its role in sustaining a healthy democracy
- Through our rePROFilm initiative, we presented three in-person events in Wichita, including HAPPENING with IFC Films, Wichita Art Museum & Trust Women, AFTERSHOCK with Wichita Birth Justice Society and “Artists for Choice” with Kansans for Constitutional Freedom
- Curated 11 volumes of the FREE-to-anyone rePROFilm Periodical, a monthly short film, original podcast, playlist and more – dedicated to reproductive justice. This year, we featured organizations including Endo Coalition, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and Male Contraceptive Institute. Sign up here to get The Periodical for free
- Proudly served as a fiscal sponsor for the short documentary ANNABEL: TIKTOK FAMOUS DANCER FREESTYLE (Directed by Ida Joglar), which profiles Wichita-native Annabel Hernandez, also a prominent member of Laughing Feet Performers. TikTok serves as a platform for her to gather support for organizations that serve people with Down syndrome, like her. Donate to the project here
