Yellow Springs Film Festival announces award in honor of Julia Reichert that honors women filmmakers

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Credit: CONTRIBUTED

“A tireless advocate for women’s rights, worker’s rights and mentor to a legion of documentarians, Reichert’s influence and generosity cultivated a global network of social crusaders who continue to shape the documentary genre today,” noted organizers in a press release.

Reichert died Dec. 1, 2022 at age 76 having battled a rare form of terminal cancer for four and a half years. For 50 years, along with longtime collaborators Steven Bognar and Jim Klein, she illuminated humanity, particularly America’s working-class, across compelling themes of feminism, family, politics and economics. She was also a Wright State University professor of film production for 28 years.

A longtime resident of Yellow Springs, Reichert received her first Academy Award nomination in 1977 with Klein and Miles Mogulescu for “Union Maids.” She was nominated again with Klein in 1984 for “Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists.” Partnering with Bognar, Reichert’s husband, she received an Academy Award nomination in 2010 for “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant.” She ultimately won the Oscar in 2020 with Bognar for “American Factory.” She also shared two Emmys with Bognar for “A Lion in the House” (2006) and “American Factory,” which focused on the Chinese-owned Fuyao Glass America windshield plant that opened in the former General Motors factory in Moraine.

Credit: Chris Pizzello

Credit: Chris Pizzello

Additional credits include “Sparkle” (2012), “Making Morning Star” (2015) and “9 to 5: The Story of a Movement” (2020). Most recently she and Bognar profiled the career of comedian Dave Chappelle in “8:46″ (2020) and “Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life” (2021).

“Growing Up Female,” Reichert and Klein’s 1971 documentary showcasing how girls and women are socialized, was selected in 2011 by the Library of Congress for the National Film Registry of historically significant films. The film served as Reichert’s senior project at Antioch College. “Union Maids” was notably added to the 2022 National Film Registry.

The second annual Yellow Springs Film Festival will take place Oct. 4-6. Additional information, including titles and special guests, will be revealed this summer.

To apply for the Julia Reichert Award or to learn more about the festival, visit ysfilmfest.com.