Pioneers in Skirts Picked To Screen At SXSW EDU

Pioneers in Skirts at SXSW

Los Angeles, CA, Release: February 8, 2023. For Immediate Release

A movie about ambition, Pioneers in Skirts is one of just three films invited to screen under the Accessibility & Inclusion track at the SXSW EDU® Conference being held March 6-9, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

SXSW EDU is a reflection of the world’s most critical social issues as seen through the lens of education. This year’s event will bring together the learner, the practitioner, the entrepreneur, and the visionary to share their groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build re-imagined paths forward.

On Wednesday March 8th, the festival will screen the documentary “Pioneers in Skirts: A Movie About Ambition.” The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and their invited guests.

March 8, 2023 / 11:00am CT / Austin Convention Center, Ballroom A

“We are honored to be joined on stage by two highly experienced Educators for a post-screening conversation about how to use the power of this film to positively interact with and influence students,” shared Director Ashley Maria. “We’re also extremely excited the festival gave us the March 8th slot — which is International Women’s Day!”

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. #EmbraceEquity

The Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy (WYWLA) Educators, Sharon Cuffee and Frank Reed, will share their experiences of how the film helped their students self-reflect about their own lives, careers, and how they feel about the topics in the film.

WYWLA, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, has hosted two movie screenings in front of students, one via a LIVE Zoom event and another in a school venue. “Pioneers in Skirts proved to have a long-term impact at the school and with teachers,” described Producer Lea-Ann W. Berst. “Even though this is why we made the film, it’s always humbling to hear how it becomes a catalyst for meaningful conversations about awareness and opportunities.”

ABOUT THE FILM

In a portrait of perseverance and determination, the Pioneers in Skirts filmmakers, Ashley Maria and Lea-Ann W. Berst, follow the journeys of 3 unforgettable girls on a robotics team, their fathers, and Lily, a woman fearful her pregnancy news will fault her raise negotiations. The film uses Ashley’s own story as a female director in Hollywood as the through line while also featuring fellow pioneering women and topic experts who have solutions to share.

ABOUT SXSW EDU

As a community of diverse people who are united around a like-minded vision for the future, SXSW EDU serves as a place for attendees to renew their purpose in practice from both a personal and professional perspective. It is a place to reinforce the core principles of teaching and learning as well as an opportunity to express your creativity and passion for education. SXSW EDU is a component of the South by Southwest® family of conferences and festivals that has grown from 800 to over 8,000 registrants in the last decade. Join the passionate and innovative community at SXSW EDU, March 6-9, 2023.

Selected for the Blackmagic Collective Film Program!

Blackmagic Collective Film Program

I’m very excited to be part of this amazing initiative for 2022-2023! I, and the entire fellowship made up of writers, directors, actors, cinematographers, and crew, will receive support from BMC (and each other!) in making our next big project as we strive toward our career ambitions.

“A curated group of filmmakers on the verge of breaking through to the next level of their careers, they will receive a full year of support to help them hone their craft, expand their network, and complete their next big project.”

For me, I’m using this opportunity to elevate my focus on directing several narrative projects as I pursue industry representation. By the end of this program I am to have finished shooting a narrative feature (that you can watch in a theater with a big ol’ tub of popcorn).

Blackmagic Collective’s Mission: Founded with the belief that the art of filmmaking should be accessible to all, the Blackmagic Collective is designed to bring together filmmakers from all disciplines and all experience levels to learn from, share with, and inspire each other. 

Blackmagic fellows

A “Pioneers in Skirts” Screening During the Pandemic

In Person Screening

 

This is so flippin’ cool! Pioneers in Skirts held its first hybrid event!! We screened in a THEATER and held the Q&A on the big screen.

We screened in front of an audience of Tech Mentors and Students, honoring AiC awardees within the NCWIT Nevada district. Thank you Cinema Learning Challenge for working with Galaxy Theatres to get this film in front of a REAL audience! And working with the Zoom Gremlins to get me on that big screen…

I had a BLAST acting like the Big Head from Wizard of Oz. I loved messing around with the audience – acting out and having fun. Just loved it. And, yes, I made sure there was nothing in my teeth because WOW that would have been the size of a person!

The dream is to be in-person again soon, but this was a pretty close runner up. These kinds of conversations keep us motivated. Let’s go!

Ashley Maria Interview By Cinema Crazed

In the news

Originally appearing in Cinema Crazed on March 18, 2021 by Emilie Black.

Please introduce yourself.

I’m Ashley Maria, I’m located in Los Angeles, and I recently launched my first feature film, Pioneers in Skirts, a documentary which follows my own journey as a director in Hollywood and the obstacles women confront in their careers. I started out in the genre space – horror, comedy, action – but quickly saw how I would be treated in my career as “just a woman-director,” even after winning a Directors Guild of America award for my first short film, “Friday Night Fright.” So, I had to make a movie to find solutions to create real change. That is Pioneers in Skirts which was released in 2020, now screening worldwide. I’m now coming back to horror, developing my next feature – and very excited!

What is it that attracts you to the horror genre for your chosen field of creative work?

I’m one of those kids that grew up on Goosebumps and Twilight Zone and will forever be a little messed up because of it, right? Oh gosh, and Scream. Seeing that movie at a sleepover, when I was way too young to see it, was a defining moment for me. I like being scared, and I like making the movies I want to see. I like to mess with reality, bring in humor and wit, and just have a fun time with the audience. Horror is a genre that sets us up to have a conversation with the viewer. It’s intimate. We’re talking deepest, most terrifying fears here. I can play with the audience; they know I’m there. And I love it.

Who inspires you in your work and in life?

Wes Craven was a huge inspiration to me. In 2014, I had the opportunity to work with him and receive his mentorship. He complimented my work. Said I ‘had what it takes’ because of my grasp on comedy – comedy being, in his words, the conjoined twin of horror. He helped me trust myself and my instincts, and I will be forever grateful to him.

I’m also very inspired by the other women working in this field. We are a tight group and very supportive of each other, often helping each other on our projects.

I’m inspired when I see great work, and I’m inspired when I’m genuinely scared! I can’t wait for haunted houses to open up again…

Women in horror have made great strides, but it’s clear that a lot of work is still needed to make it a most inclusive genre. To you, what is the importance of a movement like Women in Horror Month?

Seeing women in these roles is good for both women and men. Women see that they are not the only one, and they see role models in the women you highlight. And men, they see that women can do this, too. It’s not just a boy’s club. It opens up the discussion on who gets to define the horror genre. Hint…it’s all of us.

What would you tell an up-and-coming creative in the world of horror who sees that being a woman/identifying as a woman as something that makes it so much more difficult at times?

The numbers of women in horror can seem small, sure, but the community is large. Our work is original and terrifying. It’s honest and relatable. And it’s not just made up of directors! We have women in all specialties above and below the line ready to make great work. So, I would say, yes, it will be a challenge, but it’s worth it and we’ll do it together. Look at the women around you as your allies, not your competition. And, when you are in a position of leadership, hire womxn, hire BIPOC, and pay them what they’re worth!

What are your favorite bits of helpful advice that you have received about your work or your field?

Wes Craven told me simply, “it’s never normal and always a challenge.” He then went on to tell me endless stories, no matter the budget, of things that went wrong on his films, and how he had to pivot and get creative to make his films work.

In honor of celebrating Women in Horror Month, who do you believe viewers should keep an eye on in terms of the creative ladies in horror?

Brea Grant! She has launched a few films this year as a writer, director and actor, plus she’s also featured in my film Pioneers in Skirts, so that’s cool! Maritte Go, we went to USC together, she has a film coming out in the Blumhouse series; and Gigi Guerrero who also works with Blumhouse and is freaking hilarious. Sounds like Jason Blum paid attention to the backlash when he said there weren’t a lot of female horror directors, huh?

What do you have coming soon that you can talk to us about?

Pioneers in Skirts, my first feature, is now released to the world! We are currently screening with the United Nations and taking the film globally for an Impact Relay to aid in a gender equitable pandemic recovery.

That being said, every project moving forward will have this gender equity lens in my storytelling. And, my next project is a narrative horror/comedy, set at Christmas time, but that’s all I’m saying now!