Chicks Making Flicks Productions: an All-Female Filmmakers Group on the Rise

Los Angeles, CA, December 21, 2015 --(PR.com)-- “The wonderful thing thatʼs happening out there and that really is exciting to me, is seeing women behind the camera, not only as directors, but also female cinematographers, camera crew, sound crew or editing. Because that was so male, for so long, probably for too long.” - Helen Mirren, Oscar-winning British actress known for playing Queen Elizabeth, explains at The Wrapʼs Power Women Breakfast in NYC, how meaningful it is that female film makers can and should promote gender equality on film sets. The search and desire for women filmmakers is in the the news and many successful women have emphasized the importance of the female perspective on a film set.

One such group is “Chicks Making Flicks,” an all-female team consisting of writers, producers, directors, actresses, production designers and more, based in Los Angeles. Their first meeting was in May of 2015, and since then, they've wrapped two short films and are in pre-production on a web series. The founder of Chicks Making Flicks is Harmony Smith, a Los Angeles born writer/director/ actress. In Harmony's words: "I was tired of waiting to be hired to be a part of someone else's dream project, and I had quite a few complete films floating through my mind, begging to be made. And I knew other talented, inspired female film makers who seemed to be in the same boat as me… So I took it upon myself to get us all creating together. We don't need anyone's permission. We are self sufficient, and we're really loving getting our unique viewpoints out there through our films, for other women to identify with and take comfort in. We are dedicated to portraying women truthfully - real, multifaceted women, not stereotypical versions."

The CMF group consists of about 20 women, all located in LA, but born in various places in the USA and Europe. Every woman has her own area of expertise and is even willing to learn a new one to get their projects made. An open minded, positive attitude is required in order to fit into this group - members have to be women with high ambition, talent, determination, passion and an overdose of motivation.

Are they anti-men? No. They’re simply "dedicated to creating meaningful art from a feminine perspective" and their mission is "to empower and inspire women around the world." That’s it. Jane Campion, the Academy Award winning writer/director also talks about her hopes: “I would love to see more women directors, because they represent half of the population – and gave birth to the whole world. Without them writing and being directors, the rest of us are not going to know the whole story.”

So what’s happening at the moment for Chicks Making Flicks? They successfully wrapped their first short film called “Daughters.” Various contributors helped them to fundraise money on Indiegogo to pay for equipment, insurance, and a handful of hired crew members. The short film is a Dramedy. It's about ten daughters that gather at their dying father’s home, who must find the courage to face their demons and forgive him, each other and themselves, before it’s too late. The script is written by Harmony Smith and Ciera Danielle. “Daughters” is a tale of familial regrets, resentments, and finally, forgiveness. Right now, the film is in post-production.

Two weeks after wrapping "Daughters," CMF was invited to participate in Scott Haze and James Franco's 120 Hour Film Festival. The CMF team received a log line from the festival director, and then wrote, filmed and edited a comedic horror short film, "The Escape" in just 120 hours. Their film was screened at Rattlestick West Theater in North Hollywood, and it has since also been accepted into the Idyllwild Cinema Festival, to be screened this January.

Next on the agenda is a comedic web series called "Half Way," written by group member Tania Penn, about 12 women, each plagued with various addictions and issues, trying to survive living together in a half way home in Valencia, CA. It's due to be released in 2016.