Oscar winner, activist and longtime Yellow Springs resident Julia Reichert died on Dec. 1. She was 76 years old.
While Julia Reichert was a self-described feminist and curator of Midwestern stories, she was internationally known as the "godmother of American independent documentaries."
Her documentary, "American Factory," earned her an Academy Award for best documentary feature.
Organizations and people from across the country and film industry took to social media to share their thoughts on Reichert's passing.
On WYSO's Facebook page, many people commented about her impact.
Julie Arias said: "Such gifts and wisdom she gave us!! May we honor her by being better. Love to her family in this time of grief."
Karen Nicholas said: "Thank you, Julia, for the gift of your life. We are all better people because of your drive to tell the story of us."
Here's more reactions from social media:
Rest in peace beautiful soul, Julia Reichert. You gave us the understanding of other worlds. https://t.co/Zf0xO3MhZU
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) December 3, 2022
"[A] woman who could keenly see, then acknowledge, then lift and with bold voice champion, both visually and in thought, for those that are marginalized or are sparsely heard."
— YWCA Dayton (@ywcadayton) December 3, 2022
Read more on Julia Reichert, Women of Influence, Class of 2020: https://t.co/mI0ZQVWffe pic.twitter.com/WXYnsYFTfs
Last night we lost a true giant. A trailblazing filmmaker, Julia Reichert dedicated her life to documenting socially and historically significant stories that gave voice to so many, particularly the working class and women. pic.twitter.com/0NGQtqP4Jg
— Higher Ground (@HGMedia) December 2, 2022
Julia Reichert’s filmmaking won her an Oscar and two Emmys. She impacted students @wrightstate. And my goodness, was she a masterful storyteller. Quite a legacy. I was saddened to learn of her death today. @whiotv https://t.co/idsZ7r2a00
— John Bedell (@JBedellWHIO) December 2, 2022
I will never forget this night, sitting next to Julia Reichert at dinner and talking film and filmmaking. She was a gift to us all. 🎬 💐 @WDTN pic.twitter.com/8RiWvIVeRp
— Mark Allan (@MarkAllan1426) December 2, 2022