Overview
The Women Make Movies Film Festival (WMMFF) is a Chicago-based festival screening work by women and gender-expansive filmmakers from around the world. The 2026 edition runs May 1-2 at Kinowerks, a multidisciplinary creative hub at 5645 N Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago. The festival accepts submissions via FilmFreeway and programs short films, features, documentaries, and experimental work that amplifies stories challenging convention and centering women behind and in front of the camera.
Kinowerks is the former studio of the Wachowski Sisters, the filmmaking duo behind The Matrix series, Cloud Atlas, and Sense8. The space has been converted into a venue for creatives, offering screening facilities, recording studios, and event space. This lineage gives WMMFF a particular resonance: a festival dedicated to women and gender-expansive filmmakers, held in a space owned by two of the most influential trans women in cinema history.
The festival is listed on the ChicagoScreens calendar alongside other Chicago-area festivals including the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Cinema Femme Short Film Festival, Chicago Latino Film Festival, and the Chicago International Film Festival. WMMFF is one of several Chicago festivals focused on women and gender-expansive filmmakers, alongside Cinema Femme Short Film Festival (Music Box Theatre, October) and the Midwest Film Festival.
For submission details, visit the festival's FilmFreeway page or the ChicagoScreens event listing. Filmmakers should verify current fees, deadlines, and eligibility rules on FilmFreeway before submitting, as details for small festivals can change between editions.
Venue: Kinowerks
Kinowerks operates as a community-oriented creative space on Chicago's North Side. The venue hosts film screenings, podcast recordings, rehearsals, and community events. In addition to WMMFF, Kinowerks hosts Women in Film Night (an annual event featuring panels, screenings, and a vendor market celebrating femme filmmakers, now in its fourth year), Film Girlz Brunch events, and Oscars viewing parties.
The venue's Ravenswood Avenue location places it in a corridor of Chicago's independent film scene, near other cultural venues along the Brown Line CTA. The space is equipped for screenings with industry-level gear, though it is not a traditional theatrical cinema. Filmmakers should expect an intimate, community-oriented screening environment rather than a large-format theatrical presentation.
Festival Mission and Programming
WMMFF's stated mission is to "amplify stories that challenge convention, celebrate resilience, and redefine how women are seen on screen and behind the camera." The festival champions what it describes as "the bold, the visionary, and the voices of women and gender-expansive filmmakers from around the world."
Programming spans narrative features, short films, documentaries, and experimental work. The festival does not restrict submissions to specific genres, instead focusing on the identity of the filmmaker and the perspective of the work. Both women directors and gender-expansive filmmakers are eligible, and the festival considers films that center women's stories regardless of the filmmaker's gender.
The two-day format (May 1-2, 2026) means the festival programs a compact selection of films. Filmmakers should expect a curated, focused lineup rather than the broad programming of a multi-day festival. The short runtime also means limited screening slots, making selection competitive despite the festival's small scale.
Past Winners
Specific past winners for WMMFF are difficult to find in public records. The festival is young (founded 2020) and does not maintain a detailed public archive of award winners on its website or FilmFreeway page. The festival's two-day format and community-focused mission mean that awards, when given, are announced locally rather than through industry press.
For context, Chicago's broader women-focused film ecosystem offers a clearer picture of award outcomes. The Cinema Femme Short Film Festival, a separate Chicago event at the Music Box Theatre, featured the Chicago premiere of Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (dir. Anna Hints) at its 2024 edition. That documentary won the Best Director award at Sundance 2023 and the European Film Award for Best European Documentary.
WMMFF itself does not currently publicize award winners online. Filmmakers considering submission should contact the festival directly for information about past award categories and prizes.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Public information about specific WMMFF alumni films and their post-festival trajectories is limited. The festival does not publish a public archive of past selections or track alumni outcomes on its website.
What is known is the festival's venue and its cultural significance. Screenings take place at Kinowerks, the former studio of Lana and Lilly Wachowski. This venue connection gives WMMFF a unique identity among women-focused festivals, but it also means the festival operates at a community scale without the industry infrastructure to track and promote alumni outcomes.
Chicago's women-focused film ecosystem provides broader context:
- Cinema Femme Short Film Festival (8th edition in 2026) programs short films by women and non-binary filmmakers. Its Breaking Down Walls Mentorship Program pairs selected filmmakers with established industry professionals. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood had its Chicago premiere at Cinema Femme 2024 before wider US theatrical release by Greenwich Entertainment.
- Women in Film Night at Kinowerks (4th edition in 2026) features panels, screenings, and a vendor market. This community event runs at the same venue as WMMFF.
Filmmakers targeting Chicago should consider both WMMFF and Cinema Femme to maximize screening and networking opportunities.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
- Submit via FilmFreeway. The festival accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. Check the ChicagoScreens event listing for the current submission link, fees, and deadlines.
- Expect a community-scale experience. WMMFF is a small, community-based festival. Approach it as a screening and community-building opportunity, not a market event or industry networking destination.
- Plan for the two-day format. The festival runs May 1-2, 2026. Limited screening slots make selection competitive despite the festival's small scale. Submit early to ensure consideration.
- Do not expect Oscar qualification. WMMFF is not Academy Award-qualifying. If Oscar eligibility is a priority, target the Chicago International Film Festival instead.
- Leverage the Kinowerks connection. Screening at the former Wachowski Sisters studio carries cultural weight. Mention this venue in your film's promotional materials if selected.
- Submit to multiple Chicago festivals. Chicago has several women-focused film events. Submitting to WMMFF, Cinema Femme, and the Midwest Film Festival maximizes your chances of a Chicago screening.
Industry Reputation Notes
WMMFF is a small community festival without the industry profile of larger women-focused festivals. Cinema Femme Short Film Festival (Chicago, Music Box Theatre) is more established, now in its 8th edition, with a structured mentorship program and a clearer industry footprint. The Athena Film Festival (New York, Barnard College) is the leading US festival dedicated to women filmmakers, with stronger industry connections and a longer track record.
WMMFF's distinct advantage is its venue. Kinowerks gives the festival cultural resonance that other small festivals cannot match. However, the festival lacks the infrastructure, industry accreditation, and public communications that would elevate its reputation beyond the local Chicago community. Filmmakers should view WMMFF as a meaningful community screening opportunity within a broader festival strategy.
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What Filmmakers Should Know
Festival scale: WMMFF is a small, community-based festival. It does not have an attached film market, industry accreditation program, or sales agent presence. Filmmakers should approach it as a screening and community-building opportunity, not as a market event or industry networking destination. The festival's value lies in its mission-driven audience and its connection to Chicago's independent film community.
Submission platform: The festival accepts submissions via FilmFreeway. Filmmakers should check the ChicagoScreens event listing for the current FilmFreeway link, submission fees, and deadlines. Small festivals frequently adjust their fee structures and deadlines between editions, so verifying current details directly on FilmFreeway is essential.
No Academy Award qualification: WMMFF is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival. Short film winners do not receive Oscar eligibility. Filmmakers seeking Oscar-qualifying festivals should consider Chicago International Film Festival (Academy-qualifying for short films) or other qualifying festivals in the Midwest region.
No FIAPF accreditation: The festival is not accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). This means it does not count toward FIAPF-regulated competition eligibility requirements that some national film awards impose.
Community context: Chicago has a growing ecosystem of women-focused film events. The Cinema Femme Short Film Festival (October, Music Box Theatre) is a more established Chicago festival focused on women and non-binary filmmakers, now in its 8th edition in 2026. The Midwest Film Festival also programs at various Chicago venues. Filmmakers targeting the Chicago area should consider submitting to multiple festivals to maximize screening opportunities.
Kinowerks as a venue: The former Wachowski Sisters studio is a meaningful venue for a women and gender-expansive film festival. Lana and Lilly Wachowski are among the most prominent trans women in the film industry, and their space being repurposed as a hub for underrepresented filmmakers adds cultural significance to screenings there. However, the venue is a converted studio space, not a dedicated cinema. Filmmakers should set expectations accordingly regarding projection quality, seating capacity, and technical infrastructure.
Distinguishing WMMFF from Women Make Movies (WMM)
The Women Make Movies Film Festival (WMMFF) in Chicago is not affiliated with Women Make Movies (WMM), the New York-based nonprofit feminist media arts organization founded in 1969. WMM is the world's leading distributor of independent films by and about women, with a 50-year history of supporting women filmmakers through distribution and production assistance programs. WMM-distributed films have screened at Sundance, Cannes, IDFA, and the Athena Film Festival, and have received Academy Award nominations, Emmy Awards, and Peabody Awards.
Filmmakers should not confuse the two organizations. WMM does not operate a film festival. WMMFF is an independent Chicago festival that shares a similar name but has no organizational connection to the New York distribution nonprofit. For filmmakers seeking distribution through WMM, visit wmm.com. For filmmakers seeking festival screening opportunities in Chicago, WMMFF is the relevant destination.
Chicago's Women in Film Ecosystem
WMMFF exists within a broader Chicago ecosystem of women-focused film organizations and events:
- Cinema Femme Short Film Festival: Now in its 8th edition (2026), this festival at the Music Box Theatre programs short films by women and non-binary filmmakers. It features a Breaking Down Walls Mentorship Program pairing selected filmmakers with established industry professionals. Submissions open via FilmFreeway.
- Women in Film Night at Kinowerks: An annual event (4th edition in 2026) featuring panels of local filmmakers, screenings, a vendor market, and live music. This is a community event rather than a submission-based festival.
- Chicago International Film Festival: The city's largest film festival (62nd edition in 2026) programs women filmmakers across its competition sections but is not women-focused.
- Mezcla Media Collective: A Chicago organization supporting Latina women in film, frequently partnering with local festivals on programming.
Filmmakers based in or targeting Chicago should research all of these organizations for screening, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Festival History
Detailed public information about WMMFF's founding and early editions is limited. The festival appears on the ChicagoScreens calendar as an established event in the Chicago festival circuit, with its 2026 edition scheduled for May 1-2 at Kinowerks. The venue itself, Kinowerks, has been operating as a creative community space following its conversion from the Wachowski Sisters' private studio.
The festival's emergence reflects a broader trend in Chicago's independent film scene, where community-oriented festivals at non-traditional venues have grown alongside established institutions like the Chicago International Film Festival and the Music Box Theatre's programming. The rise of women-focused festivals in Chicago mirrors national trends, with festivals like Cinema Femme (Chicago), the LA Women in Film Festival (Los Angeles), and the Women's Voices Now Film Festival (Los Angeles/online) all serving overlapping but distinct communities.
See Also
For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To evaluate whether the submission fee makes sense for your project, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For the LA Women in Film Festival (a separate women-focused festival in Los Angeles), see LA Women in Film Festival. For the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival (a separate Chicago women's festival), visit cinemafemme.com. For the Women Make Movies distribution organization (not affiliated with this festival), visit wmm.com. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking. For the ChicagoScreens event listing, see ChicagoScreens.
