Milwaukee Film’s Cinematic Sisterhood Series Returns for Second Season

Milwaukee Film is thrilled to announce the second season of Cinematic Sisterhood, presented by Tracey B. Thomas. The Cinematic Sisterhood series began in 2025 as a result of a special grant by the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee. The series of monthly screenings returns for its second season, continuing its mission of uplifting the work of women in the film industry with a special screening of Give Me the Ball! on Tuesday, June 9. 

Tracey B. Thomas, Presenting Sponsor of Milwaukee Film’s 2026 Cinematic Sisterhood, said, “I’m so honored to support the second year of Cinematic Sisterhood programming. I came to the series towards the end of last year’s run, created out of a special grant from the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee, and it left a lasting impression.” She continued, “Milwaukee Film’s commitment to elevating women’s voices—both behind the camera and on screen—feels especially meaningful, and I’m glad to be a part of Cinematic Sisterhood’s next chapter.”

Cinematic Sisterhood highlights the often overlooked work of women and gender nonbinary filmmakers, reframing their bodies of work, bringing new perspectives to wider audiences, and supporting up-and-coming storytellers.

Milwaukee Film’s desire to shine a spotlight on the need for films made by women was born out of recent (and long-running) data indicating an unfortunate gap. According to the recent USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative reports “Inclusion in the Director’s Chair” and “Inequality across 1,900 Popular Films,” progress stalled for women in Hollywood in 2025. Only nine women directed or co-directed the top 100 grossing U.S. films in 2025, the lowest number since 2018. Only 39 featured a girl or woman in a lead or co-lead role, a return to 2018’s percentage and a significant decrease from 2024’s historic high of 55 films led or co-led by a woman or girl. 

When possible, screenings are accompanied by a networking hour, discussions with visiting filmmakers, expert panels, or masterclasses to maximize connecting event attendees to the wider world of films and filmmaking.

“Cinematic Sisterhood was created from a belief that storytelling is movement work. The Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee is proud to have helped bring this series to life with Milwaukee Film. When women, girls and gender expansive people see their lives reflected on screen, honestly and fully, something shifts,” expressed Lisa Attonito, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee. “It’s wonderful that a contribution has been secured in 2026. We hope this series continues to grow into something that outlasts any single grant or contribution, because that kind of staying power is exactly what movements are built on,” she concluded.

This new season of Cinematic Sisterhood kicks off with Give Me the Ball!, a new documentary from co-directors Liz Garbus and Elizabeth Wolff that follows world champion tennis trailblazer Billie Jean King, and her game-changing impact on culture and sports. Rare archive and candid interviews with Billie Jean and those closest to her reveal how one woman put changing the world ahead of saving herself.

First Cinematic Sisterhood films announced::

• GIVE ME THE BALL! – 6/9 at 7 PM
• WILDWOOD, NJ – 7/11 at 7 PM

The second film in this year’s series is Wildwood, NJ, the 1994 documentary directed by Ruth Leitman and Carol Weaks Cassidy. Shot on Super 8 film by an all-women crew, and recently re-released by the American Genre Film Archive, the film is a delightful time capsule of teenagers spending their summer on the Jersey Shore. Director Leitman will attend for an extended discussion of this, her first feature, and why she moved into documentary film after establishing herself as a photographer whose subjects included musicians REM, Indigo Girls, Questlove, and The Velvet Underground drummer Moe Tucker.  

Anyone interested in making a gift to directly support this series can put their name on a seat in the Cinematic Sisterhood section of our Lubar Cinema at the historic Oriental Theatre.

All Tickets and showtimes can be found online at mkefilm.org/whats-playing.

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