By Margarita Sophia Cortes
Jennifer Reeder is an award-winning filmmaker who is best known for her short films, including Blood Below the Skin (2015), which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival, and A Million Miles Away (2014), which was celebrated at the Sundance Film Festival.
Reeder’s narrative feature debut film, Signature Move, premiered at 2017’s SXSW Film Festival, where it was nominated for “Gamechanger” award. It received the Grand Jury Award for “Outstanding American Narrative Feature” at L.A. Outfest, and Reeder took home the “Best Director Award” at FilmOut San Diego. The film was featured as “one of the 50 most anticipated American films of 2017” by Filmmaker Magazine.
This multi-cultural romance about life, love and lady Lucha-style wrestling is opening in NYC this Friday, October 13th. We caught up with Jennifer Reeder as she heads to Friday’s opening screening event to get her perspective on breaking down doors.
It’s something that I’ve been aware of for quite a while, in terms of casting or who I want to write a story about or who I want to put in front of my camera because that’s their story but also as a form of social justice. We made a commitment to have lots of women behind the camera. It wasn’t just me as a director. The first assistant director was a woman, there were two female producers, the art department was all women, the makeup department was all women, the camera department was women. The amazing Indian cinema legend Shabana Azmi, who plays ‘Parveen,’ made a point to say, ‘This set feels different with all of these women in front of and behind the camera.’
There was so much scrutiny on Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman but it held up under such a different kind of microscope than Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America or any of these other superhero movies, and I love that it obliterated the box-office worldwide. If we continue to be vocal in demanding equality, studios are going to start giving female directors these jobs because they’ll be tired of getting so much shit about it. They’ll be like, ‘fine, find a woman to direct this film.’ They should be like, ‘Awesome, she’s a great director, let’s give her a chance on this,’ but if they’re simply responding to a backlash, that’s fine. I don’t care how the door opens, I’m just like, ‘open the fucking door.’
I am fascinated by how particular and precise our coping mechanisms are as humans. There are so many films that get it wrong, especially when it comes to how women respond to trauma. We’re so used to seeing a woman who turns into a raging bitch or is just crying all the time. In real life we do the most beautifully strange things, and trauma can be quite a small thing for some people or a catastrophe for others.I have never made a film that is about masculinity, so I’m curious about that. I have three young sons so I’m surrounded by a lot of boy energy. I owe it to them to make a film that has a lot of that masculine energy, but also that comes from my perspective as a feminist filmmaker. With fire and explosions and car chases… Let’s do it!
Signature Move (Newcity) is directed by Jennifer Reeder, co written by Fawzia Mirza and Lisa Donato and stars Fawzia Mirza and Sari Sanchez. The film opens in New York City at the Village East beginning Friday, October 13th.
Margarita Sophia Cortes serves on the executive board of NYWIFT as the Vice President of Communications. Follow her on @BKprgal and @MSophiaPR for more.
Margarita Sophia Cortes
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Esther Casas Roura
Welcome to NYWIFT, Esther Casas Roura! Esther is an award-winning filmmaker known for blending metaphorical storytelling with animation. Originally from Barcelona, Spain, she began her career as a molecular biologist before moving to New York and transitioning into filmmaking, focusing on animation while working across both commercial and narrative projects. She later founded Claymaniak Studios (now ECR Films) to create emotionally resonant films across stop-motion, traditional animation, and motion graphics. Her animated shorts—Check Date: An Underdog Love Story, Creamen, and FLOCKY—have screened internationally at over 150 film festivals. FLOCKY was recently shortlisted for the Goya Awards in Spain, has received 18 international awards, and has gained international recognition for its social impact. Esther is currently developing her fourth short, The Melody Within, and her first animated feature, TAO.
READ MORENYWIFT at Tribeca Festival: “APART” Animated Short Explores Friendship, Courage, and the Human Cost of Division
At the 25th Anniversary of the Tribeca Festival, the Shorts Program curated by Whoopi Goldberg delivered a powerful lineup of animated storytelling that continues to expand the boundaries of the medium. One of the standout selections, APART, made its world premiere at Spring Studios, offering audiences a deeply emotional lens into apartheid-era South Africa through the eyes of two young boys whose friendship is tested by a divided world. Tammy Reese and LaKisa Renee bring us exclusive interviews with writer Spike Lee and director Pola Maneli.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Christina Brennan
Welcome to NYWIFT, Christina Brennan! Christina is a New York–based filmmaker whose work explores the emotional complexity of young womanhood through bold, conversation-driven storytelling. She is particularly drawn to dystopian, psychological thriller, and comedy genres, often blending tension and humor. As a recent graduate, she made her directorial debut with the short film Dear Nora, which won first place at AGBO’s No Sleep ’Til Film Festival—marking an exciting start to her creative career. In addition to her work behind the camera, Christina is the founder of Onore Films, a community dedicated to supporting and connecting young women in film through collaboration and shared resources. With experience across multiple areas of production, she approaches filmmaking as both a creative practice and a way to foster meaningful connection. In our interview, Christina discussed her journey into filmmaking, the inspiration behind Dear Nora, and her passion for building community among emerging women in film.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Anna Bick Rowe
Welcome to NYWIFT, Anna Bick Rowe! Anna is an Emmy Award-winning producer and Head of Production at Smartypants Pictures, an Academy Award-winning production company based in Brooklyn. She thrives on being “multilingual” within the industry, seamlessly navigating between commercial, nonprofit, and documentary projects. Anna has worked on a wide range of high-profile projects, including serving as Executive Producer alongside Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai on Stranger at the Gate, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2023. In addition to her documentary work, Anna has produced content for brands such as Adidas, Delta Air Lines, The Lincoln Motor Company, Macy’s, Snapchat, Cadillac, Indeed, Cooper Tires, and Ford Motor Company, as well as films for dozens for nonprofits. In our interview, Anna shared her journey into producing, what working on the Oscar-winning documentary All the Empty Rooms meant to her, and her approach to social impact storytelling.
READ MORE
