Ania Smolenskaia is an award-winning editor and film-maker. She began her career in news in 2007. After several years of producing and editing news reports and documentaries for an independent online news service in Toronto, Canada, and Washington, D.C., she moved to London, where she soon joined WING, a creative agency specialising in content creation… Continue reading Director Biography – Ania Smolenskaia (HIGHER GROUND)
Author: 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.
Short Film: HIGHER GROUND, 8min, UK, Comedy
When the gorgeous Ben invites Hannah on holiday after just four dates, she thinks she’s hit the jackpot – until she gets her period on the flight over. Project Links Website Facebook Twitter Instagram
HIGHLIGHTS, WINNERS & VIDEOS: April 2021 Female FEEDBACK Film Festival
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS: Best Short Film: JEN, 28 Best Performances: THE HIDEAWAY Best Cinematography: WHEN I BECOME WHO I AM Best Sound & Music: MR. SEEK Best Direction: 4X4 Theme of night: Starting over after trauma. NOTE: Festival took place during the COVID-19 virus lockdown so all screenings were held in private. Watch the Audience… Continue reading HIGHLIGHTS, WINNERS & VIDEOS: April 2021 Female FEEDBACK Film Festival
Female Festival BEST SCENE Reading: THE HALOPERIDOL FILES, by
Lexie Addison, a cold case detective with a history of psychosis, works with her hallucinations (whom she casts as the great detectives of literature) to help the local PD find a serial killer in the community. CAST LIST: Narrator: Allan Michael Brunet Lexie: Kyana Teresa Sherlock: Geoff Mays Miss Marple: Julie Sheppard Nancy: Allison Kampf… Continue reading Female Festival BEST SCENE Reading: THE HALOPERIDOL FILES, by
Female Festival WINNING SHORT Screenplay: BURN WITH ME, by Simone Warrick
In the aftermath of a racially charged murder in the pre-civil rights South, young, white, and morose Willa Mae reckons with the role she played at the center of the trial. Meanwhile the twin brother of the victim is determined to get the truth, something he may only get from Willa. CAST LIST: Narrator: Elizabeth… Continue reading Female Festival WINNING SHORT Screenplay: BURN WITH ME, by Simone Warrick
FEMALE Festival BEST Scene Screenplay Reading: NEMESIS, by Helena Derett
In a world where heroes and villains are genetically identified at birth, a desperate superhero father will do anything to protect his young daughter tagged as a future villain, even if it means turning into the world’s greatest nemesis. CAST LIST: Narrator: Allan Michael Brunet Skinny Triplet: Steve Rizzo Kinetic: Andy Camp
FEMALE Festival SHORT Screenplay Reading: GOING HOME, by Sarah Nicole Faucher
Stephanie helps an unemployed hearing impaired friend return to family safely. Later Stephanie finds out that when her friend returned home, she committed suicide. CAST LIST: Narrator: Julie Sheppard Emma: Elizabeth Rose Morriss Stephanie: Hannah Ehman Man: Andy Camp Emma’s Mother: Allison Kampf
FEMALE Festival TV 1st Scene Screenplay: Sweet Valley Spy
Liza has a budding career at a pharmaceutical company. Her twin sister, Jess, talks to a bottle of tequila and dates a guy who tells dead-baby jokes. When Liza mysteriously disappears, Jess gets a crash course in the family business – espionage. CAST LIST: Narrator: Allison The Narrator: Geoff Mays – The Spy: Andy Kamp… Continue reading FEMALE Festival TV 1st Scene Screenplay: Sweet Valley Spy
FEMALE Festival TV Best Scene Reading: IVY, by Nicole Dawson
A lower-class, Adderall-addicted student from an Ivy League university becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation when her ex-friend is found dead. CAST LIST: Narrator: Allan Michael Brunet Chief Robinson: Sean Ballantyne Male Detective: Andy Camp Detective Cady: Julie Sheppard Leah: Hannah Ehman —–
HIGHLIGHTS, WINNERS & VIDEOS: March 2021 Female FEEDBACK Film Festival
AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS: Best Feature Film: DOROTHEA AND THE MYOTRAGUS Best Short Film: THE LAST RIGHTS Best Performances: IMMERSION Best Cinematography: 303: ENDLESS NIGHT Best Sound & Music: MY FAMILY TREES Theme of night: Attempting to connect. NOTE: Festival took place during the COVID-19 virus lockdown so all screenings were held in private. Watch the… Continue reading HIGHLIGHTS, WINNERS & VIDEOS: March 2021 Female FEEDBACK Film Festival
