New Day Films

New Day Films is the oldest continuously operating film cooperative in the world. Run by more than 140 filmmakers, it’s dedicated to supporting work that explores issues including global warming, racial equity, immigration, disability justice, and the rights of Indigenous people, LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalized communities.

Frustrated by the lack of distribution for feminist films, independent filmmakers Liane Brandon, Amalie R. Rothschild, Jim Klein, and Julia Reichert founded the co-op in 1971, initially to distribute their own projects—including Reichert and Klein’s landmark documentary Growing Up Female (1971), screening at the Wex November 18.

The organization has distributed more than 350 films since and remains an essential force in drawing audiences for ambitious, activist-driven films. To mark the 50th anniversary of its founding, we’re proud to feature four films by Klein and Reichert, who are both based in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Reichert, who visited the center in 2019 for a Wex-organized retrospective that toured the country, received the 2020 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature along with Steven Bognar for American Factory (2019).