Sonia Pressman Fuentes’ life was saved multiple times before she turned six. She grew up knowing that she wanted to lead a life with purpose, but it wasn’t until she was in her late 30s, while working to uphold the Civil Rights Act, that she discovered her calling. With the passion of a convert, Sonia was reborn as a feminist activist.
This captivating, character-driven documentary will explore the life of a pioneering feminist, attorney, and co founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). Anchored by a sit-down interview from Sonia’s apartment in Sarasota, Florida, and a personal archive, which includes 21 indexed photo albums detailing her beginnings in Berlin, her childhood in the Catskills and Miami, her legal career, marriage, motherhood, divorce, and lifelong commitment to equality, the film will weave together Sonia’s remarkable life.
As Sonia faces her final chapter, she reflects on her history and her contribution. She wonders whether she will be remembered and grapples with the state of women’s rights today. “I am now 96 years old,” she says, “and I have never stopped being involved in women’s rights. That’s who I am. My becoming a feminist is totally connected to my leaving Germany because I was Jewish. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about the fact that I was saved and others weren’t.”
This film shines a light on the trailblazing role of women war artists, on front lines round the world, championing the female perspective on conflict through art, asking: when it’s life or death, what do women see that men don’t?
Women war artists break the taboo, punching through to create their unique record alongside the daily newsfeed. But in countries where journalism is banned, it’s art that shows us the truth. Where violence against women and rape are used as weapons of war, women are silenced and bear the brunt of displacement, civilians and families pay the price. Multi-award-winning film director Margy Kinmonth shows how war is a catalyst to bring out artists’ most creative work. In the face of destruction they inspire, provoke, imagine, memorialise and heal, seek to disarm – tell the truth to power. Traditionally a male domain, war art by women has been largely invisible. Until now…
Today wars continue to rage globally. In this film, Kinmonth champions contemporary female artists – witnesses and survivors of international conflict, who create art and tell their unique stories. Womens’ war art is also uncovered from attics and archives, revealing an artistic legacy previously hidden from view. An entirely female cast and contributors makes this film a unique undertaking – telling vital truths in traumatic times.
Filmed in the USA, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Sudan, Austria, Belgium and Italy, contributing artists include Shirin Neshat, Dame Rachel Whiteread, Maya Lin, Nina Berman, Marcelle Hanselaar, Cornelia Parker and Lee Miller.
Thank you for joining us on this journey to protect the Amazon Rainforest and its invaluable wisdom through the power of art. Whether you attended one of our screenings, events, or discovered us online, your support is deeply appreciated.
CURA follows three Amazonian tribes in their sacred role as forest guardians, weaving traditional healing rituals with mind-altering sensory experiences to reveal humanity’s deep connection to the rainforest.
Part documentary, part art, CURA is designed to move audiences emotionally and inspire a reconnection with nature. Beyond a film—it’s a living campaign designed to galvanize people from awareness to action. Every frame, every dollar spent is an invitation to witness, engage, and make a tangible impact in preserving the Amazon’s wisdom and protecting this precious ecosystem. CURA is an invitation to witness, engage, and take action in this critical cause that affects us all.
Thank you for making a tax deductible donation to support our documentary. Every contribution helps bring this vision to life and amplifies its reach. Below, you’ll find our donation tiers, each offering exclusive rewards as a token of our gratitude.
Reward Tiers
$25 – Receive an advance digital copy of the film.
$50 – Includes the above, plus access to our events and ceremony mailing list.
$100 – Includes the above, plus your name in the film credits.
$250 – Includes the above, plus two tickets to the premiere screening closest to your location.
$500 – Includes the above, plus lunch with a producer in NY, LA, or Bogotá.
Donation Credit Tiers
$1,000 – Includes the above, plus a studio visit during production or lunch with our director.
$2,500 – Includes the above, plus a limited-edition digital still
$5k – Includes the above, plus a limited-edition signed portrait.
$10k – Includes the above, plus a Special Thanks
$25k – Includes the above, plus a “Made Possible With” credit in the end credits.
$50k — Includes the above, plus a “Contributing Producer” credit in the end credits.
$100k+ — Includes the above, plus a “Co-executive Producer” credit in the main titles
Please contact us directly at
cure.movie@gmail.com for an additional EP credit or to become a collector of the film.
Restorative Justice Narratives weaves a story of restorative justice across New England. Following Supreme Hassan in Boston (pictured above) and a high school boy in New York City, the film captures the struggle and healing that comes through restorative justice. Each found the space in their own way. Supreme led great change in Boston, and he also caused harm. Several decades ago, he sold drugs to people, was involved in someone’s murder. He only turned to face this harm in prison. At MCI-Norfolk in Massachusetts, Supreme began to work with prison officials and other people in prison to create space to bring together those who had caused violent crime with surrogate survivors of violent crime. This space brought healing to Supreme, to other people in prison, and to the surrogate survivors and their communities. Supreme followed restorative justice and brought transformation to the prison. He is no longer incarcerated, and now works to bring restorative justice to the world outside of MCI-Norfolk. Through this space, he faced his harm and found his path to walk.
The film will contrast Supreme’s story with the story of a young man who has only recently committed harm and is undergoing restorative justice processes. He is from New York City (just like Supreme), but is much earlier in his journey of facing his harm and of finding his path forward. The film will capture this young person at his crossroads and share Supreme’s story in parallel to show what can be possible. Interweaving these cross generational stories will showcase the power of restorative justice and push viewers to believe in and root for transformation they would not have thought possible.
Support our documentary, Journey of a Thousand Miles and the work of Healing Dialogue and Action.
We are thrilled to invite you to support Journey of a Thousand Miles, a documentary currently in production, and the work of Healing Dialogue and Action (HDA). The film explores deep themes of transformation and redemption, pushing important conversations forward about political and societal issues, as well as matters of the heart and soul.
Your donation will not only help bring this documentary to life but also contribute to HDA’s ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between victims and offenders through restorative justice. Every contribution makes a meaningful impact and brings us closer to creating change.
We accept donations via credit card or donor-advised funds through this page, and we’re excited to now offer cryptocurrency and stock donations as well! If you’d like to donate using cryptocurrencies or stocks, please email Laura Azevedo at laura@filmmakerscollab.org.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE FROM YOUR DONOR ADVISED FUND using the TAX ID 22-2778829 for Filmmakers Collaborative.
ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE, and you will receive the appropriate letter from Filmmakers Collaborative to ensure you receive the tax benefit.
Unraveling centuries of greed and exploitation in America’s meat industry, this modern-day take on Upton Sinclair’s shocking 1906 novel calls into question the profiteering of ecosystems and reveals how indigenous knowledge may hold the key to creating an equitable food system for both people and the planet.
Michigan’s No-Fault auto insurance law was designed to ensure drivers received comprehensive coverage for medical and rehabilitation expenses, regardless of fault. However, Michigan has some of the highest insurance rates, with fees varying based on race, geography, and credit scores.
In 2019, Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s reform aimed to reduce insurance costs but resulted in a 45% cut to caregiver reimbursements, forcing many out of business. Nearly 20,000 catastrophic injury survivors have been denied coverage despite paying into the system for years.
Meanwhile, the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) holds $28 billion in taxpayer money paid into by all Michiganders for these survivors, but access to these funds is blocked. Backed by the Insurance Alliance of Michigan (IAM), insurance companies prioritize profit, funneling donations to politicians to protect their interests.
This story exposes the greed, political power, and self-interest driving the system.
The New Tibet is a Chilean documentary about the movement of the Earth’s energy center from the Himalayas to the Chilean desert.
When reviewing the sacred knowledge of ancient civilizations, we find that, in almost all of them, there is talk of marked periods that divide time into eras of approximately 13,000 thousand years. Each of these eras concludes with the alignment of the equinoxes: which, as we know today, are nothing more than the movements of the axis of our planet.
The beginning of a new era began precisely in 2012, in which it is thought that Kundalini energy, which was previously found in Tibet, has moved from the Himalayas to the Andes Mountains, settling mainly in the Chilean desert.
This is a cultural project, which offers a scientific view based on seismic movements in the Pacific Ring of Fire; but it also presents images and testimonies of communities surrounding the Chilean desert; who recognize that they have experienced a process of energy transformation.
Our project takes a route of the history of Tibet as a spiritual center of humanity and the hypothesis of the displacement of its energy to the Chilean desert.
“The New Tibet” is a documentary that invites us to reflect on our beliefs, the concept we have of spirituality and how it impacts our worldview and consciousness.
How can Israelis and Palestinians commit to peace amidst so much tragedy? If humanity doesn’t unite, what will? Creating a Better Peace will show how partnering on interconnected challenges and shared goals can create a culture of equality, prosperity and the conditions for peace. Creating a Better Peace looks at successful models of Israeli-Palestinian, cross border alliances bringing economic investment and social progress to a divided land. As they work to overcome the tensions and obstacles of October 7th, Creating a Better Peace asks how can the shared goals and objectives of Palestinians and Israelis be re-aligned? Can neighbors rebuild trust and work together? We’ll be following the different paths to peace through the people working for peaceful solutions that are making a real difference.
Searching for Padre Martínez is a feature-length documentary that follows the journey of filmmaker Paul Espinosa as he seeks to rediscover the dramatic story of the New Mexican priest, educator and political activist, Antonio José Martínez. Espinosa grew up in New Mexico but never heard anything about Martínez. Like many Latino historical figures, he was erased from the history books. Espinosa first learned about Padre Martínez when he produced a four-hour series for PBS on the 1846 war between Mexico and the United States.
During Martínez’s lifetime, his native New Mexico ceased to belong to Spain, became part of Mexico, and then was conquered by the United States. Espinosa’s ancestors were Martínez’s contemporaries, and like Martínez, they didn’t cross the border, the border crossed them. Despite never leaving home, they had to negotiate dramatic cultural changes after the U.S. conquest.
Once he stumbled across him, Espinosa realized that Martínez’s struggles paralleled many contemporary issues and raised provocative questions. The film’s narrative arc follows Espinosa’s contemporary journey to uncover connections between his ancestors and Padre Martínez, reflecting on Martínez’s leadership in planting the seeds of democracy at a time when everyone was used to living in an autocracy and obeying a monarch.
The story will be told with a variety of elements including: an engaging narrative of Espinosa’s journey through northern New Mexico, impressionistic animation of key historical scenes, informed interviews with articulate scholars, the creative presentation of the words of Martínez and his contemporaries, a wealth of colorful archival images, and attractive scenes of contemporary New Mexican landscapes.
In mid-19 th century Taos, New Mexico, Martínez faced the challenge of bringing different groups together- cultural, ethnic, religious, political – against a backdrop of bloody insurrections. His efforts provide a model of creative leadership for a fragile, emerging democracy. Martínez understood that for a democratic republic to survive and thrive, an educated and involved community is indispensable.
Martínez was a fierce advocate for education, bringing the first printing press to the West where he published books for his co-educational, primary school and created the region’s first newspaper – El Crepúsculo de la Libertad (The Dawning of Liberty). Through publishing books – and not banning them – Martínez was committed to the aspirational ideals of critical thinking, religious tolerance and human rights, all aimed at pursuing a more perfect union in a fledgling democracy.
Martínez’s life raises intriguing questions. How did he plant the seeds of democracy in the remote American Southwest when autocrats and monarchs claimed absolute power? How did an activist priest like Martínez navigate turbulent times and strike a balance between religion and politics – a busy and volatile intersection that fuels vigorous public debate today? Why did his farsighted ideas about representative democracy, faith and liberal education disappear from the official story?
Today, some believe we might be in the last days of democracy, as we witness vicious assaults on our democratic institutions, amid heightened partisanship and increasing political violence. It’s a timely moment to revisit the troubling times of the 19 th century when democracy was first emerging in the Southwest. The story of Padre Martinez provides a surprising view of the birth of our democracy from the site of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Award-winning filmmaker and New Mexico native son, Paul Espinosa , will produce and direct Searching for Padre Martínez. For over 40 years, he has produced, directed, and written numerous PBS films, winning eight Emmys and Best of Festival awards around the world. Paul’s films capture the transformative energy of the men and women of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Paul holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. from Brown University. He is Professor Emeritus in the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University.
