Ten Feminist and LGBTQIA Film Festivals you should know about
Films made by women and about women were few and far between when I was growing up.
I recently read Laura Mulvey’s essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’, in which Mulvey discusses why so much cinema focusses on pleasing a patriarchal, heterosexual, white, male audience. For the first time, I began to question how I, as a woman, and other women were being represented in films.
The truth is that female characters in movies have always been written as the submissive object of a man’s desire and rarely embodied so many of the independent, smart, beautiful and naturally flawed characters that actually surround me in my everyday life.
All films should be “feminist”.
Author of “We should all be Feminists” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s definition of feminism is “a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” If we believe this definition to be true - shouldn’t we all identify as feminists?
The misrepresentation and inequality present in the film industry goes far beyond just the misrepresentation of women - the LGBTQIA community should also be respected and treated equally.
But here comes the good bit…
things are changing.
Slowly, but surely, people are speaking out. More and more female-led films are taking to our screens. The pay gap between male and female actors is diminishing. And the LGBTQIA community is being represented in more films than ever before.
So where can we celebrate the small but important steps that the industry is taking, and cheer on the filmmakers of the future to keep moving in the right direction?
Here we have the top ten feminist and LGBTQIA film festivals of 2019 where you can do just that.
TEN FEMINIST AND LGBTQIA FILM FESTIVALS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
1. Davis Feminist Film Festival
Love short films? Then block out 23rd - 24th May right away. Davis Feminist Film Festival shows short films from around the world with a focus on underrepresented artists and exploring themes of gender, race, class, sexuality, and other dimensions of social inequality. They look for films that will link together art and social issues. Spent your film festival budget for the year already? No sweat. The films are FREE!
Location: Davis, California
When: 23rd-24th May 2019
Situated in the heart of the all-singing all-dancing city that never sleeps - San Francisco, this festival is a seriously fun way to celebrate diverse cinema. Frameline's mission is to change the world through the power of queer cinema and as an arts nonprofit organisation, Frameline's program connects filmmakers and audiences in the Bay Area and internationally, not just in June - but all year round.
Location: San Francisco
Date: 20-30 June 2019
3. London Feminist Film Festival
A small but selective London-based festival that focuses on presenting films from upcoming international female directors. It’s not hard to see that there’s pretty passionate local support for the cause and content here, as the festival is entirely run by volunteers. One of the main goals for LFFF is to help women in film who have just started out in the industry. They present films from all over the world, no matter what language or background. All females unite!
Location: London
Date: August 2019
4. Seoul International Women’s Film Festival
This is one of the most renowned feminist festivals in the world. Founded back in 1997, it has given many Korean female filmmakers the opportunity to study and create their own projects for over two decades. Not only that, but SIWFF is also very active in trying to improve women’s rights themselves. SIWFF is at the forefront of discovering female filmmakers in Asia, and also a well-respected feminist film festival around the world.
Location: Seoul
When: 29th August - 5th September 2019
This is only the festival’s third year running, but it has made quite a splash in the pond of feminist film festivas! With a more local focus, Underwire’s co-founders, Gabriella Apicella and Gemma Mitchell, aim to showcase women working in the UK film industry by providing them with inspiration and a platform for their work. The four-day festival screens some of the best of British film, either made by or featuring females. This year’s screening location is the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, so finding a local after party venue to continue the celebrations won’t be hard! The festival features a mixture of screenings, sessions, and networking events with the aim of giving audiences more gender balanced perspectives, stories, and experiences.
Location: Brixton, London
When: 13th - 22nd September 2019
Cineffable is focused solely on presenting films made by Feminists and Lesbians, and is one of the few ‘women only’ film festivals out there. This principle has provoked a bit of controversy amongst some who say it isn’t fair to rule out male filmmakers entirely, but nevertheless they have shown the test of time as 2019 will be Cineffables’s 31st edition. For the last 30 years Cineffable has offered over 50 screenings every year... that’s quite the offering! Might be a good idea to brush up on your French before attending, as their films are either in French and English.
Location: Paris
When: 31st October - 3rd November 2019
The mission of the Berlin Feminist Film Week is to inspire, entertain and most importantly, pay tribute to all wonderfully talented, inspiring filmmakers out there who “challenge the hegemony of white cis-male filmmakers.” This a whole week filled with an eclectic mix of beautiful feminist cinema. Eat your heart out!
Location: Berlin
Date: March 2020
8. African American Women in Cinema (1998)
Paying a visit to the big juicy apple? This festival has your name on it! AAWIC shows films made by African American Women - it is one of the largest feminist film festivals in the USA and one of the few focused on African American women. It has made such a buzz that it’s initiated significant change for female jobs in film. Big round of applause for AAWIC.
Location: New York
Date: March 2020
9. Cascadia International Women’s Film Festival
If you find yourself in the beautiful Washington state coastal city of Bellingham in April, you’ll be sure to come across a whole load of female filmmaking talent thanks to Cascadia. CIWF showcases a broad variety of high quality films directed by women from all over the world. Also well worth checking out their talks and events that are hosted by some of the most prestigious women in the film industry.
Location: Bellingham WA
Date: April 2020
Started back in 1984 and based in Dortmund and Cologne, this festival accepts films from all over the world exploring interesting feminist, political and social issues and offers some fantastic studying opportunities for filmmakers too. Their ticket prices vary quite a bit, but it will be well worth your buck. What makes Feminale stand out from the rest? Well, as well as watching a thought-provoking film made by some pretty inspiring talent, you could also be sat right next to the producer you’ve been trying to connect with for years. Feminale is a brilliant networking opportunity as it attracts important filmmaker figures from all over the world to its audiences. So be sure to share your thoughts on the film with whoever you’re sat next to!
Location: Dortmund and Cologne
Date: April 2020
Written by Katie Ramsden, Edited by Arabella Burfitt-Dons
References:
Essay: Laura Mulvey Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema
Book: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie We should all be Feminists