Paris Was a Woman

Paris Was a Woman presents a portrait of the community of women artists, writers, photographers, booksellers, painters, and publishers who flocked to the Left Bank of Paris in the early 20th century and transformed it into a cultural capital. Their collective story rejects the “great man” narrative—Picasso, Joyce, Hemingway—that has long defined our understanding of Modernism.

Using groundbreaking research and newly discovered home movies, the film re-creates the mood and spirit of this female artistic community in the City of Light during its most magical era.

The film features authors Colette, Djuna Barnes, and Gertrude Stein; painters Romaine Brooks and Marie Laurencin; photographers Berenice Abbott and Gisele Freund; publishers and booksellers Sylvia Beach and Adrienne Monnier; and journalist Janet Flanner.

New 4K restoration created by IndieCollect in association with Women’s Film Preservation Fund.