Women in Film (WIF)

Overview

Women in Film (WIF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1973 in Los Angeles that advocates for gender equity across the screen industries. WIF builds the pipeline, sustains careers, and pushes for structural change through fellowships, grants, mentorship, research, and direct industry partnerships. The organization is led by CEO Kirsten Schaffer (since 2015) and Board President Syrinthia Studer. In 2026, WIF elected four new board members: Tessa Thompson, Katie Aselton, Amy Baer, and Raamla Mohamed Hunter.

WIF membership is open to all screen industry professionals, not only women. The organization explicitly serves women, nonbinary, and trans professionals across every department: above and below the line, in front of and behind the camera, from crew members to executives. In 2024, WIF received a three-year grant from the Gates Foundation to strengthen its international network, with an initial focus on Kenya, Nigeria, and India. Over two years, WIF helped launch or grow more than 10 chapters across India, Kenya, South Africa, Senegal, Cameroon, and Zambia.

If you are a woman or nonbinary filmmaker in Los Angeles looking for mentorship, grant funding, or industry community, WIF is the primary organization designed to provide those resources. If you are a production company or studio looking to improve gender equity on your productions, WIF's ReFrame initiative provides the framework and data to do that.

Notable Members and Leadership

Kirsten Schaffer has served as Chief Executive Officer since January 2015. Schaffer previously served as Executive Director of Outfest, where she launched the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, the Fusion LGBTQ People of Color Film Festival, and OutSet: The Young Filmmakers Project. She co-designed ReFrame with the Sundance Institute and founded the WIF Sexual Harassment Help Line in 2017. Schaffer is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Syrinthia Studer serves as Board President. The 2026 board additions include Tessa Thompson (actress, producer, founder of Viva Maude), Katie Aselton (actress, director), Amy Baer (President of Film and Television at Artists Equity, formerly of Sony Pictures), and Raamla Mohamed Hunter (television writer, producer, showrunner). The 2025 board additions included Stacey Abrams, Sasha Lloyd (A24), Deborah McIntosh (WME Independent), Keleigh Thomas Morgan, Ivette Rodriguez, and Rachel Rusch (CAA).

Maikiko James serves as Deputy Director. Andria Wilson Mirza directs international programs. Erica Fishman directs ReFrame. The board operates under a mandate requiring 50% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) representation.

Membership Tiers and Costs

WIF operates a tiered membership system with six levels. Through May 31, 2026, WIF is running a member drive with seasonal rates:

All members receive invitations and priority access to panel discussions, screenings, networking events, and skill-building workshops. Members also get a complimentary six-month subscription to The Ankler and discounts from partner affiliates. Memberships are not refundable or transferable.

How Initiation and Eligibility Actually Works in Practice

WIF uses an open-access membership model. Anyone can join at any tier without sponsorship, portfolio review, or work history verification. The Student tier is free and requires only enrollment verification for student-specific benefits. Paid tiers (Ally through Patron) require no professional qualification beyond payment.

The practical decision for filmmakers is which tier to choose. The Creative level ($95/year) is the first tier that unlocks the most practical program benefits: WIF Shorts Night eligibility, up to 2 fellowship application fee waivers, and FYC Nomination Committee invitation. Storyteller ($250/year) waives all fellowship application fees, which matters if you plan to apply to multiple fellowship tracks. Champion ($500/year) and Patron ($1,500/year) add mentorship opportunities and WIF Honors tickets.

For the WIF Fellowship, the flagship program, eligibility is separate from membership tier. The fellowship requires mid-career professional status, Los Angeles-area participation for in-person programming, and a $40 application fee per project (waived or reduced for Creative-level members and above). The 2025 cohort selected over 50 fellows from 740 applications across directors, writers, cinematographers, producers, line producers, executives, representatives, artisans, and below-the-line crew. The 2026 cohort added Scholar and Curator Fellows as new tracks.

The WIF | The Black List Episodic Lab has specific eligibility requirements: applicants must be the sole author of a submitted television pilot (writing teams eligible), cannot have received more than $25,000 in aggregate compensation for television writing work, must be based in Los Angeles, and must be available for in-person evening and weekend sessions. All participants automatically become WIF Fellows for an additional year of support.

Benefits Breakdown

WIF provides members with several categories of benefits:

Fellowship Program: The flagship WIF Fellowship, launched in 2023 for the 50th anniversary, offers a year-long program of mentorship, master classes, career strategy sessions, and industry network-building. Fellows receive at least six mentoring sessions with professionals from their field. The 2026 program runs June 2026 through May 2027 with five core career tracks. The Business Fellowship cohort is supported by STARZ through its #TakeTheLead initiative. The Director and Cinematographer Fellowship circles are supported by Netflix. Fellowship alumni have gone on to work with Netflix, Marvel, Disney, AMC Networks, LuckyChap, and other companies.

Film Finishing Fund: WIF provides cash grants and in-kind gifts to women-directed films to help complete production. The fund addresses the post-production funding gap that delays completion of independently financed films directed by women. Supported films have gained distribution, received top festival honors, and won Academy Awards and Peabody Awards.

ReFrame Initiative: Founded in 2017 by WIF and the Sundance Institute, ReFrame uses a peer-to-peer approach in which Ambassadors engage with senior decision-makers at over 50 Partner Companies to implement systemic change programs. ReFrame publishes an annual analysis of IMDbPro data tracking gender-balanced hiring. The 2025 report found a rollback in gender-balanced hiring on both sides of the camera, with the fewest gender-balanced productions in six years.

Screening and Event Series: Members access the Laptop Cinema Club series (screenings with Q&As), WIF Shorts Night (member short film showcases with Q&A), and priority access to panel discussions and networking events. WIF Shorts Lab, supported by Google, provides funds and mentoring for filmmaking teams to produce short-form content.

Mentorship: The Mentoring Circles and Peer Mentoring programs connect established professionals with emerging talent. Champion-level members and above can mentor WIF Fellows directly.

Advocacy and Legal Aid: WIF operates the Sexual Harassment Help Line, launched in 2017, connecting survivors to pro bono lawyers, support groups, and therapists. WIF also provides legal aid resources and advocates for policy changes including ending mandatory NDAs.

International Programs: Directed by Andria Wilson Mirza, WIF's international work has expanded with the 2024 Gates Foundation grant. In 2026, WIF and WIFT Africa united to bring a delegation of 10 African nations to the Cannes Film Festival, marking a historic expansion for women in entertainment globally.

Fiscal Sponsorship: WIF fiscally sponsors aligned projects including the Women's Production Society (WPS), Pay Up Hollywood, and the Think Tank for Inclusion and Equity (TTIE). Fiscal sponsorship is by invitation only.

Program Tiers and Partnerships

WIF administers several distinct programs, each with different funding partners and eligibility:

WIF Fellowship: The core program with five career tracks (Director, Cinematographer, Business, Writer, and Artisan/Crew). Supported by Falguni Lakhani Adams and Marla Charlton, with specific circles funded by STARZ and Netflix. The next application cycle opens in Fall 2026.

WIF | The Black List Episodic Lab: A partnership with The Black List selecting 6 to 8 TV writers annually for a four-week program of script development, pitching, a mock writers room, and roundtables with established writers and executives. Application fee: $40 per script for non-members, reduced or waived for Creative-level members and above. Applicants can submit up to 3 scripts.

WIF Shorts Lab: Supported by Google, providing three filmmaking teams with funds and support to produce short-form content, including mentoring for writers, directors, creative producers, and line producers, plus resources to hire women-focused crew.

ReFrame: Directed by Erica Fishman, working with over 50 Partner Companies including studios, networks, and streaming platforms. The initiative provides research, support, and a practical framework for companies to mitigate bias during creative decision-making and hiring.

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What Filmmakers Should Know

WIF membership at the Creative level ($95/year) or above unlocks the most practical benefits: waived fellowship application fees, Shorts Night eligibility, and member pricing on WIF Honors tickets. The Fellowship program is the most intensive career-advancement resource WIF offers, providing a year of structured mentorship and master classes. The application cycle opens each fall (October 1) with deadlines in January. The $40 application fee per project is waived for Storyteller-level members and above. If you are based in Los Angeles and have a clear career focus you can articulate, the Fellowship is worth applying to. Productions looking to improve gender equity on their crews can engage with ReFrame, which provides practical hiring frameworks and bias-mitigation tools rather than public statements. ReFrame works with over 50 Partner Companies and maintains data on hiring outcomes. Student membership is free and includes invitations to guild and studio screenings, priority access to events, and 20% off career program application fees. The key trade-off: WIF's programs require Los Angeles-area participation for most in-person programming, limiting practical access for filmmakers based elsewhere.

See Also

For diversity-focused independent distribution, see Neon and Magnolia Pictures in this directory. For advocacy context around industry diversity standards, see Film Independent in this directory. For help estimating production budgets that account for equitable hiring practices, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator. For current membership rates and program details, visit womeninfilm.org/membership.