Breaking Through The Lens

OUR STORY ⬇️ “𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 – 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔. 𝑾𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌 𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔.” BTTL Founder @daphneschmon // @variety Since 2018, @breakingthroughthelens (BTTL) has been cutting through industry noise and dismantling the biggest barrier to equity in film: financing. What began as an intimate event at Cannes has grown into a global movement spanning the “big five” festivals—connecting women and LGBTQ+ filmmakers directly with investors, grants, and opportunities that turn vision into reality. Because for us, equity isn’t about talk. It’s about access. It’s about action. Now a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in the U.S. and with a newly launched European base in Athens, BTTL is expanding its reach to support filmmakers around the world. Action takes a village. Our team is the heartbeat of BTTL: Executive Director @daphneschmon Co-Founders @emilyanncarlton @elpidou COO @saturzand Director of Programs Europe @elena_priovolou Director of Communications Europe @raffarossiello Board Members @lizzyinfilms @jasminmorrison7 Publicist Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis Strategic Advisors @tiffanyboyledonnermeyer @one.two.20 Legal Advisors @ramolawpc @ratiolaw @thanosleone Pitch Coach @sasha_damjanovski Photographer @jollytd Event Producers @elaineivy @freyanewland With gratitude to our partners: Gold Sponsors @campariofficial @trussardi $10K Action Grant @simbelleproductions (founded by @laurenmelindafilm ) Travel Grants @neogenplasma_official 🌍 From Cannes to Sundance, BTTL is a global force ensuring underrepresented voices don’t just get heard—they get financed. ✨ APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR 2026! ✨ Hit the link in our bio to apply. #OurStory #BreakingThroughTheLens #FilmFinancing #Variety #ActionsSpeakLouder #WomenInFilm #LGBTQFilmmakers #RepresentationMatters #GlobalFilm #Cannes #Sundance #TIFF

“𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒚.“ – Kristen Stewart ⬇️ APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN for the 2026 BTTL Program 🎬 awarding two $10,000 Action Grants supporting women and LGBTQ+ directors in late-stage development on a feature or documentary. Thanks to our visionary new partner @simbelleproductions Final Deadline: October 1st. This year’s Jury includes some of the most influential voices in film: Jen Blake (Sundance Episodic Lab, Diversity Hire) Steven Adams (Alta Global Media, Peabody Award-winner) Thomas Pierce (The Brutalist, 3 x Oscar-winner) Nicolás Celis (Roma, 3 x Oscar-winner) Lauren Melinda (Simbelle Productions) Amy Gardner (Finite Films & TV). Finalists will join the BTTL Cohort, receiving 1:1 mentorship, travel support, and the chance to pitch in front of investors at the Cannes Film Festival. Winners announced at Sundance 2026. Enough talk — it’s time for action. 👉 Apply now at link in bio @breakingthroughthelens #BTTL #BreakingThroughTheLens #ActionsSpeakLouder #FilmFinancing #WomenInFilm #LGBTQFilmmakers #RepresentationMatters #Cannes #Sundance #GlobalFilm #KristenStewart

TAKE ACTION. BUILD CONNECTIONS. GET THE TOOLS TO THRIVE. ⬇️ For eight years @breakingthroughthelens has been cutting through industry noise and dismantling the biggest barrier to equity in film: financing. We connect women and LGBTQ+ filmmakers directly with investors, grants, and opportunities that turn vision into reality. With key events at @sundanceorg and @festivaldecannes 🌎 For the first time ever, we’re opening our doors to filmmakers at every stage of their career — not just those eligible for our Action Grant. Whether you’re directing your first short or a veteran producer packaging your next feature, this is your invitation to join our global movement >> 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘪𝘰. 𝐁𝐓𝐓𝐋 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 ✔️ Full access to ALL 2025/26 virtual workshops — film finance, legal strategy, pitch coaching, indie distribution, new technologies ✔️ Discounted 1:1 coaching with BTTL mentors ✔️ Budgeting, finance plan & investor contract templates ✔️ Exclusive entry into our 501(c)3 Fiscal Sponsorship with a low 3% fee — so your project can receive tax-deductible donations ✔️ Lifetime discount code for BTTL grant opportunities ✔️ VIP invitations to our BTTL events at Sundance & Cannes 2026 ✔️ Access to our Member Portal for networking, roundtables, and job opportunities (launching Dec 2025) Annual membership fee: $59.99 (limited offer until Oct 1st) Fully tax-deductible for U.S. citizens. ⚠️ Got a feature film in late-stage development with a strong finished script? Please apply for membership via our Action Grant page. Step into our global network. Because together, we’re breaking through. LINK IN BIO to become a BTTL Member. “𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦.” ~ Tina Gharavi, Sundance & BAFTA-nominated director and BTTL Alumna #BTTL #MembershipLaunch #BreakingThroughTheLens #FilmmakerCommunity #LevelUp #FilmFinance #FiscalSponsorship #ActionGrant #WomenInFilm #LGBTQFilmmakers #GlobalFilmCommunity

Watch our full LIVE conversation with our 2026 BTTL Action Grant Winner Brittany Ferrell, Director of "I Brought You Into This World.” 🎬 Brittany is actively casting for the 3rd storyline of her documentary, and you could be part of it! She is looking for someone who is pregnant or planning to conceive, identifies as Black and queer, ideally based in the American South. If that's you or someone you know, send us a DM or comment below. Our $10,000 Action Grant is helping Brittany film the final and vital story arc. In this conversation, she talks about her journey from nurse and birth worker to film director, her experience as the protagonist of “Whose Streets” the landmark documentary about the aftermath of Michael Brown Jr.'s killing in Ferguson, and what it means to make a film that holds Black birth with truth, complexity and joy rather than pity. "I Brought You Into This World" follows three Black birthing people navigating pregnancy, love and survival in post-Roe America. Because these women are not statistics. They are people demanding dignity, shaping futures, and carrying generations forward. FOLLOW THE FILMMAKERS: @ibroughtyouintothisworld @shoesoffmedia @firelight_media @bdoulaoblongata Hosted by BTTL Founder @daphneschmon #BlackBirth #BlackStorytelling #WomenInFilm #QueerBirth #queerparenting

We are going LIVE with Brittany Ferrell, Director of “I Brought You Into This World” our 2026 BTTL Action Grant Winner: ⏱️ this Wednesday April 15 @ 1PM EST / 6pm UK Brittany came to filmmaking through survival and love. A nurse, a birth worker, a Black queer mother, and a community organiser in St. Louis, she first stepped in front of a camera as the main protagonist of “Whose Streets?” the landmark documentary about the aftermath of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing in Ferguson. That experience revealed something to her: that film, when made with honesty and care, has the power to witness lives with truth rather than pity. In 2019, she stepped away from her nursing career to direct her first documentary and has not looked back since. “I Brought You Into This World” is an intimate love letter to Black birth, following three Black birthing people navigating pregnancy, love and survival in post-Roe America. Black birthing people are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, yet this film refuses to reduce them to statistics. It holds complexity, risk and joy, grief and celebration, because these women are not victims. They are people demanding dignity, shaping futures, and carrying generations forward. Our $10,000 Action Grant will allow Brittany to film the final and vital story arc of the documentary, a Black queer pregnancy in the American South. That chapter is still being written, and Brittany is actively casting. If you or someone you know is pregnant or recently postpartum, identifies as Black and queer, please DM us. Join us here on Instagram Live to hear from Brittany herself on why this story cannot wait! ⏱️ Wednesday April 15 @ 1PM EST @shoesoffmedia @firelight_media @bdoulaoblongata 

#BlackBirth #BlackStorytelling #WomeninFilm #QueerBirth #LGBTQIA

We are going LIVE with Brittany Ferrell, Director of “I Brought You Into This World” our 2026 BTTL Action Grant Winner: ⏱️ this Wednesday April 15 @ 1PM EST / 6pm UK Brittany came to filmmaking through survival and love. A nurse, a birth worker, a Black queer mother, and a community organiser in St. Louis, she first stepped in front of a camera as the main protagonist of “Whose Streets?” the landmark documentary about the aftermath of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing in Ferguson. That experience revealed something to her: that film, when made with honesty and care, has the power to witness lives with truth rather than pity. In 2019, she stepped away from her nursing career to direct her first documentary and has not looked back since. “I Brought You Into This World” is an intimate love letter to Black birth, following three Black birthing people navigating pregnancy, love and survival in post-Roe America. Black birthing people are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes, yet this film refuses to reduce them to statistics. It holds complexity, risk and joy, grief and celebration, because these women are not victims. They are people demanding dignity, shaping futures, and carrying generations forward. Our $10,000 Action Grant will allow Brittany to film the final and vital story arc of the documentary, a Black queer pregnancy in the American South. That chapter is still being written, and Brittany is actively casting. If you or someone you know is pregnant or recently postpartum, identifies as Black and queer, please DM us. Join us here on Instagram Live to hear from Brittany herself on why this story cannot wait! ⏱️ Wednesday April 15 @ 1PM EST @shoesoffmedia @firelight_media @bdoulaoblongata 

#BlackBirth #BlackStorytelling #WomeninFilm #QueerBirth #LGBTQIA

Proud to be featured in @forbes as one of the initiatives driving real change for women in Hollywood. Writer Dominique Fluker spotlights how Sundance is shifting the landscape for women filmmakers, and Breaking Through The Lens is honoured to be part of that conversation. Moderated by BTTL Board Member Liz Cardenas, we hosted a powerful conversation with Olivia Wilde, discussing her new film “The Invite,” as well as award-winning filmmakers and producers Sophie Mas, Saba Zerehi, and Sara Bernstein candidly speaking about the structural barriers still facing women storytellers. Our Sundance activation was a testament to what becomes possible when the industry chooses action over rhetoric. 🔗 Read full article & view video of the panel via link in bio.

Announcing the 2026 Winners of the Simbelle Impact Award! The Simbelle Impact Award is a $10,000 unrestricted grant supporting a filmmaker whose vision aligns with our mission. In collaboration with @breakingthroughthelens , the Simbelle Impact Award is given to a finalist of the Action Grant cycle. The 2026 Simbelle Impact Award goes to… Ana Endara & Isabella Gálvez, VICTORIA EN LAS NUBES (VICTORIA IN THE CLOUDS) SWIPE to learn more about the film and the filmmakers. We’re so proud to support Ana and Isabella, and this incredible project. #SimbelleProductions #EmpoweringWomenThroughFilm #FemaleFilmmaker #FilmmakerSupport #BreakingThroughTheLens

Huge congratulations to our BTTL Board Member Liz Cardenas on producing PERFECT, which had its world premiere in the “Visions” section of the 2026 SXSW Film & TV Festival. It’s the feature debut of queer British director Millicent Hailes, and it stars Julia Fox, Ashley Moore and Lío Mehiel.  The film follows Kai, who finds a hidden, utopian and pure water source after befriending a group of misfits and becomes entangled in a passionate, intense romance with a wealthy woman named Mallory. Liz produced it under her Ten to the Six Pictures. @lizzyinfilms @thisperfectmovie @sxsw @tentothe6 @juliafox @ashley_moore @lio.mehiel @millicenthailes

History made! After 98 ceremonies, a woman has finally won the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Autumn Durald Arkapaw took home the award for her work on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. She’s also the first woman of colour to be nominated in the category. She asked every woman in the Dolby Theatre to stand. “I don’t get here without you.” This is what it looks like when someone makes a door where there wasn’t one 🙌🏼🙏🏽✨ #BTTL #WomenDirectors #CinemaForChange

In celebration of 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲, we honor all the extraordinary women who power the global film industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Over the past few years, we’ve seen some serious milestones: • 𝐂𝐡𝐥𝐨é 𝐙𝐡𝐚𝐨 (Hamnet) became the only director to win the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award twice, and the first woman of color nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Director. 
• 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐭 (The Substance) received widespread acclaim and a 2025 Oscar nomination for Best Director, joining the small group of women ever nominated in that category. 
• 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭 (Anatomy of a Fall) won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, following her historic Palme d’Or win at Cannes. 
• 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐊𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚 (All We Imagine as Light) became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. 
• For the first time in history, 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝟒𝟐% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎𝟎 highest-grossing films in the United States, reaching parity with male leads. The progress is real. And yet, the world today feels turbulent and divided in so many ways. In moments like this, cinema has the rare power to build empathy and to bring us into cultural experiences beyond our own. It reminds us that beneath our differences, our humanity is shared. Today @breakingthroughthelens celebrates the brilliance and resilience of women across the world. Those leading film sets and the village surrounding them from technicians to cleaners who all make this art form possible. Here’s to the women who came before us, those making waves today, and the generations still to come. #InternationalWomensDay #BTTL #IWD #WomenDirectors #CinemaForChange

We’re incredibly proud to introduce our 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐁𝐓𝐓𝐋 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭: five extraordinary feature projects seeking finance, who we’ll be supporting throughout the year with 1:1 mentorship, industry introductions, fiscal sponsorship access, and the opportunity to present at our Investor Showcase during Cannes Film Festival this May! A huge thank you to our Jury for their care and thoughtful dedication, and to every single filmmaker who applied this year. The level of work was exceptionally high, a powerful reminder of both the urgency and the depth of support our industry needs at the moment. We see you and appreciate you all. ♥️ ✨ ACTION GRANT WINNER ✨ 𝐈 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 — Director Brittany Ferrell, Producer Shannon Sun-Higginson A powerful, intimate meditation on Black birth and bodily autonomy in post-Roe America, centering joy, agency, and lived experience. @ibroughtyouintothisworld 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 — Director Alexandra Qin, Producers Asher Goldstein, Carlos López Estrada, Valerie Bush, Michael Sherman A sharp, emotionally raw comedy-drama about addiction, family, and sisterhood. @aaalexqin @thirstygirl.film 𝐄𝐗𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 — Director Ilse Fernandez, Producer Alessandra Pasquino A deeply empathetic documentary following three Central American immigrants navigating a broken asylum system with unflinching resolve. @exodusstories @ilsefernandez @alessandrapasquino 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐒 — Director San San F. Young, Producers Rebecca Wolff & Ed Owles An immersive, BIPOC-futurist exploration of climate justice shaped by young voices and radical imagination. @ss.fyoung @postcodefilms @beccawolff27 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐎 — Director Annabella Fazio Mineghino, Producers Jade Risser, Sofia Kunz & Theodora Dunlap A queer reimagining of the Western, where identity, desire, and rebellion meet on a fading Spanish ranch. @annabella.fazio @sofi.kunz These projects, bold in form, fearless in voice, and driven in purpose, remind us why independent cinema matters. 👉 Learn more about the films and our mission via the link in @breakingthroughthelens bio. #BTTL2026 #FilmFinance #GenderEquality