World of Women’s Film Festival 2012

Overview

Finding a female language has been one of the great challenges of our time, one to which women writers, artists and not least filmmakers have risen with great gusto over the last century. But the fight for women's equality is not over, and the film industry is a very demonstrative battleground. Doubt it? Consider these Oscar-timed stats: Just 14 percent of Academy Awards Best Picture nominees in the last four years have been by female directors, and 77 percent of Academy voters are men. Four women have been nominated for Best Director ever. We're so used to male-centred tales, even our favourite films can fail the Bechdel Test without us noticing. In this cinema landscape, the return of the WOW (World of Women's Cinema) Film Festival for its 18th year is most welcome.

The festival will be showcasing the best in women's creativity with short films from Australia and overseas, covering fiction, documentary, animation and experimental pieces. Of the 39 films featuring, there are 13 world premieres, 10 Australian premieres and 5 Sydney premieres, with events at Dendy Opera Quays, Parliament House Theatre, Surry Hills Library and UTS. International Women's Day will be celebrated on March 8 with the WOW Awards Night at the Dendy Opera Quays, commencing with drinks at 6pm.

It's presented by Women in Film and Television NSW (WIFT NSW), which is committed to improving the status of women, both on and off the screen, by supporting and advancing women working in the film, television and related screen industries. To see more fabulous works by women, check out the Seen and Heard film festival.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NyJTY68asL0