Bechdel Films is a 501[c]3 nonprofit dedicate to strengthening the image of women in front and behind-the-camera by promoting female filmmakers and strong roles for women.

The idea to create Bechdel Films was inspired by a date that went awry.  Cressandra Thibodeaux was out with a male sound engineer, who explained why women aren’t represented in the audio/sound industry.  He explained that women have more chromosomes than men, thus creating a handicap for females and their auditory abilities. Needless to say romance was out and the notion that women were inferior because of too much chromosonal information was infurating and inspiring. So, Ms. Thibodeaux reached out to a female colleague, a woman who had won an Oscar for being a sound engineer, who confirmed that indeed there was a strong bias against females in the ENTIRE film industry.  By August 6, 2014 the website was built with the single goal to promote women as key roles in film/tv production, (behind and or in front of the camera).  On September 9, 2015 Bechdel Films became an official 501(c)3. 

According to a landmark global study backed by the United Nations, "Film-makers worldwide are perpetuating gender discrimination by failing to find strong roles for women on the big screen."