In March, we celebrate Women’s History Month and 2025’s theme of “Moving Forward Together.”
During the month, we honor female artists of the past, present and future by featuring women artists in our community and beyond who are finding unique ways to educate about and advocate for women’s voices in the arts.
One of many talented filmmakers showing work at the 2025 festival is Mylissa Fitzsimmons, a California-based producer, writer and director, whose micro-budget full-feature film “The Long Run” debuts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday as part of the Fargo Theatre’s 25th annual Fargo Film Festival.
“While they haven’t always been in the spotlight or the director’s chair, women have always been a huge part of moviemaking,” Emily Beck, executive director of Fargo Theatre said, citing the likes of actress Mary Pickford as a pioneering business woman who co-founded United Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Beck added, “Alma Reville wrote screenplays for many of her husband Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films. She was his life-long, constant, creative partner.” Beck said that it’s Fitzsimmons’ command of her own style that makes her an outstanding female writer and director worth watching now and in the future.
“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing both of Mylissa’s two feature films. While they are incredibly different pictures, they have one thing in common: a crystal clear artistic vision. She is an artist whose creative voice can be felt in every frame,” Beck said.
Starring Fargo native Nicole Rodenburg and co-starring Grand Forks native Leonora Pitts, “The Long Run” follows two strangers (Rodenberg and British indie newcomer Fred Thomas) as they drive across America to chase their Hollywood dreams, only to discover what they lack in talent, they make up for in determination—and friendship.
In a nutshell, the film addresses the decision to follow one’s dreams despite any real aptitude or potential. From Fitzsimmon’s seat as the story’s creator, the real magic is in the journey, and underneath it all is the reassuring message that even a dream deferred for decades is still one worth pursuing.
“I set out to make a movie about two people who had a dream despite everyone telling them no. Anyone who works in film or the arts is told ‘no’ a lot, and you can either let it break you or make you. In my case, being told no, and especially being female, has made me more and more want to do what I’m doing,” she said. “Women don’t have an expiration date.”
Fitzsimmons won’t let her own self-imposed ageism or insecurities get in the way, either. She was 40 when she released her first short film, having only occasionally dabbled in acting, writing and directing since she discovered an aptitude for it as a teenager inspired by an encouraging high school media arts instructor.
It’s been worth it.
“Now I’m older than everyone. I’m female. Why am I going into debt making movies no one sees? Is this worth it?” she asked. “I wanted to follow this dream even when everyone was telling me no, but I needed to be able to tell myself yes, even if I failed. The film is like that; it’s never about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
In 2021, when Fitzsimmons released her debut micro-budget feature film, “Everything in The End,” it would eventually be shown in over 40 festivals, winning multiple awards such as “Best Narrative Feature,” “Best Directing,” “Best Debut” and “Best Cinematography.”
Fitzsimmons was a top three finalist for the Lynn Shelton “of a certain age” grant and a Ryan Murphy Half Initiative mentee. In 2024, she was a chosen filmmaker to be part of the BendFilm: Basecamp Fellowship where she was awarded The Horizon Award.
I set out to make a movie about two people who had a dream despite everyone telling them no. Anyone who works in film or the arts is told ‘no’ a lot, and you can either let it break you or make you. In my case, being told no, and especially being female, has made me more and more want to do what I’m doing.
The filmmaker, who lives in California with her family, said she knew at a young age she would in some shape or form be involved in movie making. Inspired by other independent female filmmakers like Andrea Arnold (“Fish Tank,” “American Honey”) and Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker, “Point Break”), Fitzsimmons is less interested in breaking into bigger-budget movies as she gets older.
“It took me a long time to call myself a director. It took another ten years before I could say ‘I’m a director,’ ” she said. “For me, once I grasped the idea that it was OK to be a filmmaker and not have people know who you are, as long as you are being truthful to your stories, it doesn’t always matter what the dream is. It matters that you have one.”
Watch ‘The Long Run’ reel on Instagram
Never too late
Fitzsimmons said it was important for her to show her own daughter that real success is sometimes self-determined, which is a kind of empowerment.
“I have a daughter who asked me how I ended up where I am. It became very important for me to show her that we can do something we are passionate about and start late,” she said.
Meanwhile, as Fitzsimmons nurtures her new role as an emerging indie filmmaker, she intends to clear the path even further for the women to come after her. After all, like so many other fields, film is still deeply patriarchal.
“I’m continually shocked at the lack of support and awards for female cinematographers,” Fitzsimmons argued. “Some of the best cinematographers are female. They don’t always get the props they deserve. Production designers and customers never get their due respect. Visual effects are being made but women are pretty underrepresented. It’s tough and a lot of those people work very hard.”
But then again, it’s been like that for a very long time, as Beck points out, “You can’t discuss the work of Martin Scorsese without mentioning the great Thelma Schoonmaker. She has edited almost all of his work from Raging Bull to Killers of the Flower Moon — they have shaped modern American cinema together. These women frequently didn’t get the acclaim (or paychecks) of their male counterparts, but they represent an enormous amount of talent and enduring legacies in popular culture. When I think of women like these navigating this industry, I feel a bit more steel in my spine and hope in my heart.
About the author
Lonna Whiting is a freelance writer and owner of lonna.co, a content marketing and communications agency located in Fargo, North Dakota. She is a frequent contributor to The Arts Partnership’s content library and also provides strategic communications consultation to the organization.
