Having studied at the Royal College of Art in London, Lis Rhodes was an active member of the London Filmmakers Coop for many years. She was the Coop's cinema programmer 1975-76, before going on to become one of the founders of Circles Women's Film & Video Distribution in 1979. She was also a member of the Four Corners Film Workshop and an arts adviser to the Greater London Council 1982-85. She has been a lecturer at the Slade School of Art in London since 1978.