NYWIFT is recommending two films to be nominated for the Library of Congress National Film Registry
The National Film Registry of the Library of Congress selects 25 films each year showcasing the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation. Public nominations play a key role when the Librarian and Film Board are considering their final selections. You can nominate up to 50 titles per year.
Among your other nominations, please include:
Betty Tells Her Story (Liane Brandon, 1972)
The Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF) of New York Women in Film & Television is nominating Betty Tells Her Story for inclusion in this year’s National Film Registry. This classic documentary is an iconic film of the Women’s Movement, and a significant piece of American film history.
Betty Tells Her Story is the first independent film of the Women’s Movement to explore the issues of body image, self-worth and beauty in American culture – and it has become one of the most enduring. Betty tells the story of her search for “the perfect dress”. How she found just the right one… and never got to wear it. Then Betty tells her story again. The contrast between the two stories is haunting. Made in 1972, it is considered a classic of documentary filmmaking.
Betty Tells Her Story is available to stream for free until the end of the day on August 15, 2022: https://vimeo.com/551725977/be112430a8
It Happens to Us (Amalie R. Rothschild, 1972)
It Happens to Us is the first US film, made in 1971 before Roe v. Wade by an all-woman crew, to champion a woman’s right to choose to end a pregnancy and have reproductive autonomy over her own body. It was prescient in having a wide range of women (and one man), rich and poor, black and white, married and unmarried, young and older, speak candidly about their abortions and the decisions that led them to make that painful choice.
It Happens to Us is available FOR FREE as a three-day personal stream via the New Day Films website. Click the drop down menu at right of the trailer image for “Streaming and DVD purchasing Options” and select Personal Streaming 3-day. You will need to register, but will not be charged. https://www.newday.com/film/it-happens-us
To date over 700 films have been added to the Registry. Approximately 60 of these films on the list are women directed works. These films are incredibly important and include WFPF preserved titles, but we’d like to see this number increase exponentially. This would help increase awareness of women’s contribution and place in cinematic history and reflect the diverse significant voices we bring to the artform. There are many other WFPF films that have yet to be nominated. See the full list of WFPF preserved titles here.
Nominate a WFPF preservation today or nominate another woman-made film. The films elected can be in need of preservation, or can be those which have already been preserved, but must be at least 10 years old.
The nomination form link closes on August 15, 2022, so be sure to get your nominations in before the deadline.
Please note: Filling in the description on the NFR voting form is optional, although it’s great to have a comment as to why the films are significant and should be added to the registry.
Our sister organization, WIFV DC, has also compiled a list of recommended films!
