NYWIFT Blog

By Janine McGoldrick

To say Ruth Ann Harnisch is a force in the independent film industry is an understatement. She has contributed to the production of almost 400 documentaries and several acclaimed narrative features.

Her strategic investments in films, filmmakers, and organizations supporting them have helped open almost every aspect of the business to underrepresented voices. This is evident with each of the seven films featured at this year’s Tribeca Festival that she has supported: She Runs The World, Runa Simi, State of Firsts, We Are Pat, Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, Move Ya Body, and Natchez.

I spoke with Ruth Ann for The NYWIFT Podcast (listen here) about the importance of Tribeca, which she calls “arguably one of the most important festivals for any film,” how she picks her projects and what she has learned from them.

Her wisdom could not be contained! So here is more from our conversation…

NYWIFT Member Ruth Ann Harnisch (image courtesy of Ruth Ann Harnisch)

When you decide you want to be a part of a project, what are you more driven by: the subject matter of the film, the filmmaker’s voice, the potential impact you think the message might have, or is it all of the above? 

It is definitely all of the above and more. One of the first things I would ask a filmmaker before they ask anybody to put money in: Why this subject? Why are you the one who is uniquely qualified to tell it your way? Why am I the one who should be supporting it? And why now? Because the subject matter, as you say, the filmmaker’s voice, the potential impact, those are part of the equation.

Do I want to be the first person to put money in and champion the film? Because sometimes if people see that I’ve put money in, they’ll follow. And that’s a nice thing to be able to do for somebody.

Even if I don’t put much in, they can say I’ve supported and it may open a door or two. Or, like in Tribeca, do I want to be the last money in? I’m some of the last money in some of the films. So last minute, in fact, that my name won’t be on the screen. But I was too late to get into the final cut, but they needed the money to do the work to get to Tribeca.

And you took them over the finish line.

I hope so. I brought them farther along.

Still from State of Firsts (image courtesy of Tribeca)

Have you ever taken a chance on a project you felt was too big of a risk?

My answer to that is, let’s talk about risk. My husband’s work, which is managing money in the markets. involves managing risk. That’s really his job. Calculate and manage the risks. And what he says about risk is, “If you can’t stand the downside, no matter how small the odds of that happening, then you can’t afford that risk.”

And I never take a risk I can’t afford, that I’m not willing to lose the investment, as in they never finish the movie and it goes nowhere, because that’s a risk every film, every film. And there’s a risk it won’t be the movie you hoped it would be, and you’ll feel weird that your name is on it. So, you never know. But I don’t take a risk I’m not willing to lose on them.

Still from We Are Pat (image courtesy of Tribeca)

You look to help bring marginalized voices to the screen through independent film. What do you think has improved over the years? 

Everything has improved! If you look at what gets shown at festivals now, they are representing many voices and many races and many ethnicities and many languages. It’s everywhere. It’s everywhere. And it’s better for every single underrepresented group that measures things.

Dr. Stacey Smith’s research has shown things get better. Geena Davis Institute finds things are better.

The group Disability Belongs looks to see where are we in front of and behind the camera. Things are better, and the process is more democratized, the tools are available to everyone for not much money.

If you have a story to tell, and you are determined to tell it, you can tell it, you can afford to tell it. You have crowdfunding availability that wasn’t available to filmmakers of decades past. The ability to find your audience and tell your story has never been easier to put in your own hands.

Still from Move Ya Body: The Birth of House (image courtesy of Tribeca)

How do you see things playing out with the current downturn in institutional and governmental support for certain creative initiatives? 

Accounts are going away, money’s disappearing. But this is also true – there are plenty of people on all ideological positions who are getting richer thanks to the policies that have whacked grants and programs. The tax breaks are going to liberal people as well as conservative people. Those are the facts. The money is out there if you have the guts to go find it

Still from Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (image courtesy of Tribeca)

What have you learned personally from some of the films that you’ve supported or from the people that you’ve worked with?

I learned something that I didn’t know from every film I’ve ever helped to be a part. Every film is an education of some kind. I’ve learned that there’s always another way of looking at framing a story than the I have one. Every director, every storyteller is going to tell that story in their own way.

I’ve learned that documentaries are not [always] fact-checked journalism. I used to think if it was in a documentary, it was true. Well, it may be true if you’re using “alternative facts.” But alternative facts exist because people believe them. So, I have also learned that some people who want to make movies do not embrace all that it entails. They don’t want that responsibility. They want other people to be the ones to do the dirty work of money or the dirty work of promotion. And they don’t understand they are the captain of that ship and every voyage that that ship is going to make.

Ruth Ann Harnisch and the Harnisch Foundation support initiatives leading gender-based systemic change including ReFrame, Women at Sundance Fellows, Catalyst Women, and New York Women in Film & Television. Ruth Ann is the founder and president of the Harnisch Foundation, now in its 27th year.

Learn more about the films Ruth Ann Harnisch has supported at Tribeca 2025:

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore

We Are Pat

State of Firsts

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

Natchez

She Runs the World

Runa Simi

And we interviewed Ruth Ann for our special Tribeca Festival episode of The NYWIFT Podcast. Listen now!

Learn more about the rest of the NYWIFT member projects at Tribeca 2025!