Moonplay is a community of radical generosity, growth, and visibility.

“When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.” 
― Adrienne Rich​

Moonplay is an artist-run project supporting women, nonbinary, and trans filmmakers and moving image artists, first and foremost. We screen auteur-driven experimental, documentary, and innovative narrative works. We also record a podcast called "where to from here."

We bring women, gender non-binary, and trans artists together, not to isolate us as a group, but to create space for community and connection. Together we can empower one another to share our stories and experiences. Together we can organize events so that our projects and voices are seen/heard, represented, and appreciated, ultimately creating more opportunities for our careers. Because as it is, what's out there, isn't enough. Moonplay is for us for that very reason. 

We are committed to paying our exhibiting artists and our venue appropriately for their contributions and time. 
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Moonplay is organized and curated by artist, Jes Reyes, the founder of the Altered Esthetics Film Festival. She directed the festival as an official ARTshare program at The Southern Theater for 4 seasons (2014-2017). She has been developing Moonplay Cinema for the last two years, so she is excited to get it off the ground and running. Artists Kiera Faber, Andrea Shaker, and Molly Parker Stuart  are part of the Moonplay community, as participating artists and serving as advisory committee members.

Moonplay's name comes from our goals to be boundless. It is also a nod to the act of pressing play and the movie screen's illumination and inclusive possibilities. Moonplay is also named after one of Jes's favorite filmmakers, Marie Menken. She made a short stopmotion animation film in the early 1960's called Moonplay. Her experimental films are endlessly inspiring!

If you have questions, please reach out here. Submit to screen with us here. 

Moonplay Cinema is a fiscally sponsored project of Springboard for the Arts.