In 2014, Vicarious Films sponsored a short film competition inspired by the article Casual Predation by Arikia Millikan, as published in LadyBits on Medium.
As evidenced by the #yesallwomen thread on Twitter, and the murders in California that inspired it, women live in a different world than men even while side by side with them. Mention certain experiences and all the women in the room will nod their heads in sympathy and recognition, while the men in the room will scratch their heads in puzzlement. The experience of feeling like Prey is one of them.
When I first read the article that inspired the contest, I was flooded with so many ideas for making short films that I had no idea how to make just one. I wanted to get this idea out, as a teaching tool, as an expression of a hidden reality that I don’t see represented in mainstream media, despite it being so ubiquitous. I wanted to see what other women filmmakers would choose as their take on the experience, how they would tell this story. Vicarious Films had never sponsored a film contest, but this seemed the perfect opportunity to do so.
In keeping with Vicarious Film’s mission of providing opportunities for women both in front of and behind the camera, submissions were be required to have majority representation of women in key creative roles. Films were required to be 10 minutes or less, and could be of any genre or discipline.
Vicarious is thrilled to announce the winning female filmmakers: the CineMavens in Cincinnati, led by Joyce Bentle. The winning film, a documentary, can be seen at this link.
Thank you and congratulations to all who entered!