Cinema Femme Film Festival Preview Celebration

​Join Cinema Femme on Aug. 28, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM for an unforgettable evening of community and cinema at our fall festival preview celebration! For a $50 ticket, enjoy a catered social hour featuring food, beer, wine, and other refreshments from local women- and queer-owned businesses, followed by an exclusive first look at our 8th annual film festival trailer and a special short film screening. The night continues with our "Breaking Down Walls" mentorship panel, featuring industry insights from past program mentors Jennifer Reeder ("Knives and Skin," "Perpetrator") and Emily Lape ("Mercy's Girl") alongside mentees Jet Harris ("Places of Worship"), Krista Kane ("Except"), and Linh Tran ("Video Funeral," "Waiting for the Light to Change"). (bios below!)

​We'll also debut the digital edition of our Summer/Fall 2026 issue, featuring our inaugural list of 10 Chicago Film Creatives Breaking Barriers. Some of our highlighted honorees will be in attendance. The print edition will be available at the fall festival.

​Every ticket directly supports our upcoming short film festival at the Music Box Theatre—don't miss this chance to celebrate and empower the next generation of filmmakers!

​We’re so grateful to partner with Kinowerks for this event!

​And thank you to Dablon Winery, Marz Brewery, and Marina's Bistro for supporting our event!

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Our Mission:

​Cinema Femme is dedicated to championing female and gender-expansive filmmakers through our mentorship initiative, a vibrant community, and our flagship annual film festival at the historic Music Box Theatre. We empower the next generation of creatives by bridging the gap between emerging talent and industry professionals, utilizing our online and print publications to provide the validation and resources essential for building sustainable careers in film.

​Cinema Femme is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law.

​Kinowerks

​Kinowerks is a creative hub built by artists, for artists, offering flexible space rentals for productions, events, exhibitions, and community gatherings. Our mission is to create opportunities for artists and creatives to connect, collaborate, and grow together—building a stronger, more vibrant creative community through partnerships like Cinema Femme.

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​Breaking Down Walls Panel - moderated by Rebecca Martin Fagerholm, Executive Director of Cinema Femme

​Jennifer Reeder

​Jennifer is an award-winning writer and director with four feature length films and a feature length anthology. Her films have screened at Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, SXSW, Fantastic, Fantasia, Beyondfest, Frightfest, Outfest, AFI, London, Chicago, Viennale, on the Criterion Channel with distribution from IFC Films, Shudder, AMC, Mubi and Hulu.Bong Joon Ho has named her a director to watch.

​Emily Lape

​Emily Lape is a Chicago-based indie filmmaker, actress, and mentor. She wrote, directed, and starred in her debut feature "Mercy's Girl," and her sophomore feature, "Pretty Weeds" (writer/director/producer), is currently in post-production. As an actress, she plays the lead role in Wendy Jo Carlton's upcoming feature "Lucy is a Loser," releasing in 2027. Drawing from years of acting training in Los Angeles and indie filmmaking experience, Emily is deeply dedicated to mentoring and supporting emerging cinematic talent.

​Linh Tran

​Linh Tran is a Chicago-based Vietnamese filmmaker and editor whose work explores memory, identity, and the immigrant experience through both documentary and narrative film. She earned her MFA in Film & Television from DePaul University, where she developed her intimate, memory-driven storytelling style. Her films have screened at festivals including the Chicago International Film Festival, Dublin International Film Festival, and Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival, and her debut feature, "Waiting for the Light to Change," won the Narrative Grand Jury Prize at the 29th Slamdance Film Festival. In addition to writing and directing, Tran edits commercials, music videos, short films, and documentaries, and was named one of Film 50: Chicago Screen Gems in 2024.

​Jet Harris

​Jet is a writer, director, actor, producer, and Tiny Desk Concert enthusiast born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. Jet is a 2024-2025 AdobexSundance Ignite Fellow, alum of which include Lance Oppenheim and Sean Wang. She has been recognized by Panavision through the NFP grant for her film Places of Worship, and was the recipient of the Chicago DCASE Individual Artist Grant in 2022. Her films have screened at festivals such as Palm Springs Short Fest, Outfest, NewFilmmakers LA, NFFTY, Chicago Critics Film Festival, and Florida Film Festival. She is a mentee of genre filmmaker Jennifer Reeder through the Breaking Down Walls mentorship program from Cinema Femme. Jet is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University with her BFA in acting. Notable performances include short films such as McKenzie Chinn’s "A Real One" (Gold Hugo winner at Chicago International Film Festival), Kaitlyn T. Busbee’s NYU Film, "Layaway" (Hollyshorts), and Lori Felker's "Patient" (Upcoming). Jet resides in Chicago, IL, where she searches for her new favorite cocktail bar.

​Krista Kane

​Krista is a writer, director, and producer in Chicago, Illinois. She went to bible college to find out if God was real (spoiler: still unconfirmed), worked on a farm run by nuns, and launched Oatly in the US. She has studied and performed comedy in Chicago for the last 10 years, as well as attended film school at Second City. She makes work inspired by her love of agriculture, formation of community, and psychology.

​Moderator - Rebecca Martin Fagerholm

​Rebecca Martin Fagerholm is the founder of Cinema Femme, and now holds the position of Executive Director NFP (June 2024). She founded Cinema Femme magazine in 2018 with the purpose of shining a light on filmmakers and other artists in the industry who are underrepresented in our mainstream media, specifically women and gender-expansive people. Rebecca was named by Newcity in 2022 as Chicago's Film 50 in Media.

​Over the years, Rebecca has hosted film screenings in Chicago, led panel discussions and Q&As, and as a film journalist has covered festivals like Sundance, Tribeca, the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Bentonville Film Festival.