Joanie4Jackie

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Joanie4Jackie is a zine on film created by Miranda July.

"You always suspected it and now you know it's true: Girls and women are making movies every day", proclaims Joanie4Jackie. The zine is a notable example of the DIY ethic in action: female film directors collaborating to produce their own culture. Each issue consists of ten short films sent to Joanie4Jackie by women from across North America, Europe and Australia. The films are made in a wide variety of mediums including video, Super 8, 16mm, pixelvision, and others, since all women are encouraged to participate regardless of technical expertise, using whatever medium is available to them. The types of films range from narrative to animation to documentary to experimental to diaristic themes and cover a wide spectrum of topics. Frequently they are no budget films that substitute creativity for cash. These films are then compiled by July onto a video cassette, which is sent to participants and subscribers and then generally released. The compilations have also screened at film festivals and DIY movie events. Notable DIY filmmakers who have contributed to the project include Tammy Rae Carland, Lisa Hammer, K8 Hardy, Sarah Jacobson, G.B. Jones, Tara Mateik, and July herself. Begun in 1996, each issue is a chainletter:

[edit] Issues

"Velvet Chainletter" (1996)
"Underwater Chainletter" (1996)
"U-Matic Chainletter" (1997)
'Silver Chainletter" (1998)
"CherryCherry Chainletter" (1998)
"MIA Chainletter" (1998)
"Break My Chainletter" (1999)
"Banana Cremeletter" (2000)
"Ball And Chainletter" (2000)
"Perfect 10 Chainletter" (2000)
"2001: A Chainletter" (2001)
"Who Stole My Chainletter?" (2002)
"Me & My Chainletter" (2002)
"Girafferator Chainletter" (2006)

The project was intially entitled Big Miss Movieola, however legal threats from the owners of the word 'Movieola' forced July to change the name to Joanie4Jackie. The project was envisioned as a means to encourage women to make films and as a vehicle to have their films seen by others. The Chainletter series contributed to the popularity of the DIY filmmaking scene of the 1990's and enabled many women involved in film to connect with one another, in the process becoming a historic cultural document of, by, and for women filmmakers.