The Frederica Sagor Maas Fellowship

Thanks to the generosity of Dwight M. Cleveland, a Columbia alumnus and film poster collector, the Women Film Pioneers Project launched the Frederica Sagor Maas Fellowship in 2023, named after the important early screenwriter. The Frederica Sagor Maas fellows are current Columbia Film Studies M.A. students who partner with local newspapers in the hometowns of women film pioneers to write and publish profiles on these groundbreaking women. The intent is to inform local communities about the accomplishments of forgotten female filmmakers from their towns or regions.

The 2024 fellows: Amira McKee, Drew Björkstén, Lifei Cheng

Published articles:

Björkstén, Drew. “Corinne Griffith Was a Silent-Film Superstar. Then the World Heard Her Voice.” Texas Monthly, November 21, 2024. Access a PDF version here.

Björkstén, Drew. “The Leadville native who became the most powerful woman in Hollywood.” Herald Democrat, July 23, 2024. Access a PDF version here.

Frederica Sagor Mass. Portrait by Walter Frederick Seely, 1925.