Film, a precious resource for studying history and people's roles in it, is to a great extent a collective endeavour, dependent upon many less-noticeable individuals, women among them. This article is not about the films themselves, about the recordings of more or less famous women, but about the stories of the making of these films, full of different approaches, human contacts and relationships. We are told to be professional, independent, open to new innovations, aware of a never-ending learning process and taking no notice of short-term goals. This is of particular importance for the archives, whose duty it is to preserve "memory" for future generations.