The six organisations investigated in this project are resource centers, nonprofit organizations, cooperatives, collectives, and distribution companies established from the early 1970s to the early 1980s in North America and Western Europe. They specialize in feminist and LGBTQ-oriented film and video practices. They apply the emancipatory and transformative ideas and methods of the counterculture, leftist cinema, and alternative media to the enhancement, distribution, and preservation of women’s cinema. Their longevity – quite rare within the history of alternative media and of feminist media in particular – speaks to the sustainability of their methods, which operate on three principles: 

1. Collective and egalitarian structures 

2. DIY, experimental uses of technology 

3. Inclusive and anti-discriminatory methods 

The book emphasizes these organizations’ significant contributions to feminist and LGBTQ media activism and their resilient and sustainable practices amidst various challenges.