Women Take the Reel Film Festival
For a decade and a half, this festival has brought the lens of feminist scholarship to the big screen. A powerhouse collaboration between the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Gender, Culture, Women, and Sexuality and allied institutions, we curate films that do more than entertain—they illuminate. Join us for a showcase of storytelling that fearlessly explores the intersections of gender, race, class, and the fight for equity.
The focus is on the intellectual investigation of these issues, so every film is accompanied by a Q&A and discussion with the film director, producer, local activists and practitioners, and/or faculty members from the host institution for each film.
****All films are free and open to the public.****
Upcoming Films
Join the GCWS for the opening feature of the 15th annual Women Take the Reel Film Festival! We are proud to screen the award-winning documentary The Right Track. The Right Track is a powerful documentary that amplifies the voices of survivors of sex trafficking, revealing their resilience, heartbreak, and courage as they fight for freedom, justice, and a future where exploited individuals are no longer criminalized but protected. The Right Track is both a call to action and a testament to the resilience of survivors fighting for change.
Join the University of Massachusetts Boston Women’s and Gender Studies Department and the Cinema Studies Program for the screening of the uncompromising essay-film by directors Anja Dreschke and Michaela Schäuble. Following archival films, photos and sounds, the essayistic documentary traces tarantism, a Southern Italian possession dance. Framed by the letters of a ‘tarantata’, it interweaves images and voices from the past and the present to explore the history of tarantism, and it’s current revitalization.
Join the MIT Women’s and Gender Studies Program for the screening of the intriguing film Can I Get a Witness. In a not so distant future, there is a reality where in order to save the planet, "death is everyone's job," with 50-year-olds taking the sacrifice, while teenage artists need to document it.
Join the Northeastern University Women’s and Gender Studies Program for the screening of the timely and immediately relevant film No One Asked You. Comedian, disruptor-extraordinaire Lizz Winstead (co-creator The Daily Show) and her team Abortion Access Front crisscross the U.S. to support abortion clinic staff and bust stigma. Pop culture icons and next-gen comics fuel this six-year road film activating small-town folks to rebuild vandalized clinics, exposing wrongdoer politicians, domestic terrorists, and media neglect as the race to the bottom ensues. A bold call to action reminds us that when the patriarchy burns down, joy will prevail.
Join Boston College’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program for the screening of the exploratorily engaging film THE INQUISITOR. THE INQUISITOR offers a powerful portrait of Barbara Jordan’s rise to prominence. Told through Barbara’s commanding voice, the film weaves her inspiring personal story with key historical moments, highlighting her profound impact on American politics. Her legacy invites reflection on the nation’s past and present, emphasizing the importance of civic engagement and the power of bipartisanship.
Join Tufts University Theatre, Dance, and Performance Program for the screening of a collection of short films by critically acclaimed writer and director, Ng'endo Mukii. Emmy award winning and British Animation award nominated writer and director, Ng'endo Mukii, will present a collection of short, animated films spanning a decade of work. She will surface the themes and process of her work, contextualizing them in her heritage as a Kenyan, and her experience as part of the Afro diaspora.
Past Films
Co-directed by Cinthia Chen and Annie Wang, English, 1 hour USA, 2025
March 27, 2025 at 7pm
Tufts University - Barnum LL08
Directed by Phyllis Ellis, English, 1 hour 16 minutes, USA, 2022
March 20, 2025 at 4:15pm
Boston College - Virtual screening
Directed by Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston, and Chelsea Hernandez, English, 1 hour 39 minutes, USA, 2023
March 20, 2025 at 3:45pm
Northeastern University - 130 Hurtig Hall
Directed by Payal Kapadia, English, 1 hour 58 minutes, France, India, Netherlands, 2024
March 6, 2025 at 6pm
MIT - Bartos Theatre
Directed by Jan Haaken & Sam Praus, English, 1 hour, USA, 2022
February 27, 2025 at 6pm
MIT - Bartos Theatre
- Posted in Series, WTTR
- Tagged Feminism, Film Screening, WTTR 2026