Ri Filme

was founded in the mid-noughties in order to produce Hana, dul, sed ... The whole project grew out of a gender-conscious context in terms of its origins, content, and makers, and it only makes sense that its production environment should be consistent with this too. This meant, among other things, that a “women’s company” should produce the film. The premise was that if one’s own personal experience has an influence on one’s perception of reality, and if a producer is not merely someone who churns out a product but who also affects the appearance of the final product as a creative partner, then it makes a difference whether a film is produced by a man or a woman. But in Austrian culture producing films is a man’s domain, and that is why we had to start a new company. We were able to successfully launch the project thanks to enormous support, positive feedback, and motivation from film industry colleagues – male and female alike – and with plenty of help from established production companies.

Today the company, a limited partnership (KG), is part of a non-profit structure that collects resources and makes them available for producing documentary films about women’s lives from women’s perspectives. Ri Filme does not possess material capital in any big way, but it does dispose of enormous immaterial capital: project development profits from the know-how, hard work, equipment, experience, and dedication of the women involved and takes place in a climate of mutual understanding about the specific challenges facing female filmmakers.