HIGHLIGHTS: August 2025 FEMALE Filmmakers Festival

A showcase of the best Female Films from around the world today!

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS:
Best Feature Film: Greytown Girl
Best Short Film: Menopause Menopaws
Best Performances: Sentient
Best Story: iHostage
Best Direction: Living an American Dream
Best Micro-Short: Born

SENTIENT, 33min., Australia
Directed by Kayley Atkinson
Ella and her friends take a weekend getaway to rural Australia to disconnect from their devices and reconnect with one another. However, an evil presence has other plans for them.

https://instagram.com/sentient.thefilm/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-sentient

Menopause Menopaws, 14min., USA
Directed by Akiko Matsumoto
This short comedic film about menopause uses humor as a powerful tool to break down walls and spark honest conversations. While menopause can be overwhelming—hot flashes, mood swings, sleep issues—it also has moments of unexpected hilarity. By leaning into the comedy, the film shines a light on the realities of this transition, helping women feel seen, less alone, and hopefully sharing a few well-earned laughs along the way.

https://www.instagram.com/akiko_nyc_la_jp

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-menopause-menopaws

iHostage, 14min., Australia
Directed by Rosemary Reid
Abducted from her idyllic paradise and drugged, Ranger Jane Winter must escape her bonds or risk being caught in a predator’s unforgiving web forever.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33048716/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-ihostage

LIVING AN AMERICAN DREAM, 45min., USA
Directed by Clare McKay
Two Haitian brothers, along with family and friends, discuss their experiences growing up adopted in a ranching lifestyle and how rodeo plays a part. A story of faith, passion, drive and following your dreams no matter where you’re from or plan to go.

https://www.instagram.com/livinganamericandreamdoc/

https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-living-an-american-dream

BORN, 3min., Australia
Directed by Yixin Sun
This 2D experimental animation depicts a planet with reproductive functions, exploring the transformations associated with pregnancy and childbirth. By portraying these changes on both a psychological and physical level, the animation aims to highlight the impact of reproductive trauma and advocate for greater societal awareness and compassionate care.

https://yixinsun.cargo.site/born

https://www.instagram.com/xsuens_/

femalefilmfestival's avatar

By femalefilmfestival

The irony of this festival is that its goal is to not be around in 5 years time. To eventually not be relevant because there is zero need to have a festival geared for female talent and female stories because the stories presented in Hollywood and around the world are a balanced showcase of the human experience from both sexes. Our goal is to achieve a lot of success and then fold into oblivion simply because there is no need for this festival. This festival was created by the FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival as a simple reaction to a strong need to showcase female talent from around the world in a more profound way. When putting together the weekly festival, the administration noticed a lack of a female presence in the stories being shown at the festival. A classic example and analogy to the frustration is how the festival noticed that even the smaller roles in a screenplay were written for a man to play. There was zero reason for this in many stories. How a police officer, or a political campaign manager, for example with 3-4 lines in a screenplay was a "HE" character. Why? And these are the screenplays written by the winners! The talented one who have obtained agents and have began/beginning their careers as a writer.

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