Kentucky may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of the motion picture industry, but that is changing rapidly.

Big productions have been coming to the state, putting the Commonwealth on the map for filmmakers.

We want you to meet four women who are taking the initiative and stepping out from behind the cameras.

They're working to bring the art of filmmaking into their communities, shining a light on the importance of independent filmmaking and education.

Let's check it out.

Across Kentucky, women are shaping the future of film as artists, educators, and advocates for change in the industry.

These women are working behind the cameras, building communities, and opening doors.

For this Western Kentucky University professor, filmmaking begins with dreaming.

She's helping college students write their own narratives, both on and off the screen.

I found often that women written by men on screen appear and behave differently than women written and directed by women.

So, that's been part of my journey, is reclaiming what a woman is on the screen and more so than what a woman is, but what a woman could be.

So, I teach film because it's important to me to pass on what I know, passing on the torch while also actively, you know, lighting more torches, right, as I continue my work and just passing on that light of knowledge and passion.

The purpose of the program and my role is to build confidence in them because confidence can be learned and mastered.

I dream and I hope that one day I can make such an impact on the women in my classroom, reminding them to dream, reminding them that they are worthy.

There's always gonna be a seat at the table for them, and if not, build your own table your own table.

In Lexington, an independent filmmaker has created her own path, not just for herself, but for the next generation of storytellers.

Through nonprofits, she's opening doors for Kentucky's youth, helping them to see that a future in film is possible right here at home.

When I was in film school, I studied screenwriting.

I wanted to study directing, and I had a hard time, like, verbalizing that because I didn't know any female directors, and I still don't personally know.

I know a few, but not that many.

So, I think that, yeah, for a long time, like, that was something that I wanted to pursue, and I felt silly talking about it because I didn't know anybody who was doing that.

That's why my husband and I, part of why we have, like, our own production company.

Because I was like, “I wanna make my own stuff and, like, have some amount of say in the stories I tell and have some amount of control in the type of sets that I create.” I am always looking for, being in this area, ways to educate people about what opportunities are out there.

I have another nonprofit, Bluegrass Film Friends.

We've partnered with the Kentucky Theater on a film festival called Screen Slam.

That is high school students in Kentucky, basically a film festival that's just for them.

If any of my experience can be helpful to anybody else in helping them decide, like, what they wanna do or what they wanna pursue, then I'm happy to be of service.

In Louisville, this director's passion is her community.

She's a voice for those still waiting to be seen, and through her free film classes, she's making sure they don't have to wait much longer.

People need to tell their story, no matter how old or how young you are.

I'm a double minority when I go into a set.

It's not very many women, and it's barely any Black people.

It's been difficult, but that's not gonna stop me because film is my passion.

Honestly, the reason that I was put on this earth is to help share stories and to help amplify voices that doesn't have that chance to.

In the little position that I am here in Louisville, I try to be that beacon of change and hope, me and my friends, because nobody else is gonna tell our stories.

We're all trying to help each other, and that's what matters.

That's what it means for me to be rooted in [laughs] my film community here, to be heard, and that's something you can't take for granted.

Also in Louisville, this nonprofit leader has traveled the world, but her passion lies here in Kentucky, where she's helping women across the state find their place on set and their power in storytelling.

Working in the film industry, particularly as a woman is.

it comes with its own challenges.

There's challenges of freelancing for everyone.

It takes a lot of sacrifice, a lot of time away from your family, just a lot of hustles, and a lot of uncertainty.

The Women Film Chapter for Kentucky, we started that right at three years ago.

Women Film Kentucky, as a chapter, offers a lot of resources for women.

We have meetups, and we have networking groups.

One of the goals of Women in Film is to do more statewide outreach, because there's a lot of women out in rural areas that are maybe, like, looking for something different, that don't even know yet that this could be their next outlet, or their next, like, opportunity could be the film industry.

I think it's important for women across the state to know that this industry, there is a space for all kinds of creatives.

It doesn't just have to be a camera operator.

It doesn't just have to be a producer.

I mean, you're seeing, like, the creative work of wardrobe, of seamstress, of people that work in locations, of drivers, of chefs.

There's just so much room for people, and I would like to see a woman in every one of those positions.

And I want to make sure that people like me, who did not come from this background or don't have that degree, and that women across the State of Kentucky know that this option as a career does exist, and there's room for you.

With different paths but shared purposes, these women are changing what film looks like in Kentucky by showing the next generation what's possible.

Together, they're building something much larger than any production.

I would love to see, kind of, in the next era of Kentucky film, you know, filmmakers who are from Kentucky.

We have the talent here.

It's time to take your own project seriously.

I think one very important step for the future in Kentucky, the future film industry, is that there needs to be representation sitting at that table.

I invite all female filmmakers in Kentucky to create a support network so that we can make the best films possible, tell our stories, and deliver our messages, because the world is waiting.

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