California State University, Northridge’s fall Cinematheque series will pay homage to women’s contributions in television, film and other media.

The series includes 11 films, chosen by media theory professor Frances Gateward, that highlight an important time in television and film when women were underrepresented in the industry.

“Too often, the contributions of women to film and other forms of popular culture are overlooked,” said Gateward. “I chose classic and contemporary films that would be important for both film students and general audiences to see, because they offer different perspectives and even radical aesthetics, often transforming the ideologies of so-called masculine genres.”

The series will include work by Hollywood’s early prominent women directors and screenwriters. Genres will vary, from thrillers to romantic comedies and even horror.

In addition to the films, a distinct group of women media creators will be present on separate nights during the course of the series. Presenters include Claudia Puig, president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Carla Renata from the African American Film Critics Association and Meher Tatna, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Additionally, renowned women in animation also will be part of the panel. They include Shawna Mills, known for her work at Dreamworks, Lucasfilm and Cartoon Network, as well as Sidney Clifton, known for her work on the “Black Panther” animated series and “Hellboy.”

There also will be a night dedicated to the women of cinema and television at CSUN, where instructors in the department will show their work as filmmakers and content creators. The panel includes film production professor Karen Dee Carpenter, screenwriting professor Alexis Krasilovsky, multimedia production professor Elizabeth Leister, Department Chair Thelma Vickroy and cinema and television arts professor Dianah Wynter.

“Many film departments do not have full-time faculty who are still producing and making work,” said Gateward. “The night’s a chance for the students to see their faculty in a different way.”

CSUN’s Cinematheque series is free and open to the public every Wednesday night beginning Sept. 5 in the Elaine and Alan Armer Screening Room in Manzanita Hall.

Manzanita Hall is located near the southwest corner of the campus near Nordhoff Street and Darby Avenue. For information on the series visit https://www.csun.edu/mike-curb-arts-media-communication/cinema-television-arts/cinematheque-schedule.

Cinematheque, Department of Cinema and Television Arts, Film, Mike Curb College of Arts Media and Communication