Antifeminist
Leia (late 20s) is an up-and-coming feminist blogger. She receives a mysterious package, with an invitation to a secret soiree. When she arrives to the elegant villa, she finds an all- female event with all-male servants. Each room presents a different world, with exhibits of extreme feminist views. As Leia objects, she understands her writing inspired the evening. She is woken by her flatmate, Martha, claiming Leia had a nightmare. Leia, unconvinced, finds clues to the opposite. SIX MONTHS LATER: Leia is on a talk show, where she explains her new perspective on feminism.
-
Sofija SztepanovDirectorLess Serendipitous Ways, Primitive, No Need for Excuses, Tinder Will Understand
-
Sofija SztepanovWriterLess Serendipitous Ways, Primitive, No Need for Excuses, Tinder Will Understand
-
Tünde BodnárWriterSAS: Red Notice, 129, Tide
-
Tünde BodnárProducerSAS: Red Notice, 129, Tide
-
Sofija SztepanovProducerLess Serendipitous Ways, Primitive, No Need for Excuses, Tinder Will Understand
-
Daniel KresmeryProducerSAS: Red Notice, Archive
-
Leila Saint JamesKey Cast"Leia"Never Grow Old, Hannah Arendt
-
Magdalena KorpasKey Cast"Marta"Pogarda, Labyrinths
-
Tünde BodnárKey Cast"Victoria"SAS: Red Notice, 129, Tide
-
Barnabás RétiKey Cast"Barista 1"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, World War Z, The Spy who Dumped me, Being Julia
-
Alexandra SzűcsKey Cast"Socialite 1"Hanna, Gemini Man, Mars
-
Kincső PethőKey Cast"Psychiatrist 1"Red Sparrow, The Alienist
-
Una KovacKey Cast"Tech Girl"
-
Csenge TálasKey Cast"Socialite 2"Curtiz
-
Lory SimonettiKey Cast"Priestess"Story of my Life
-
Márton NagyszokolyaiKey Cast"Barista 2"Aurora Borealis, Ransom
-
Project Type:Short
-
Genres:Drama, Mystery, Comedy, Horror, Women
-
Runtime:27 minutes 12 seconds
-
Completion Date:September 5, 2019
-
Production Budget:12,000 USD
-
Country of Origin:Hungary
-
Country of Filming:Hungary
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:RED 8K
-
Aspect Ratio:2:35:1
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:No
-
Student Project:No
-
Reykjavík International Film FestivalReykjavík
Iceland
October 1, 2019
World Premiere
Golden Egg Award Nomination -
New York Shortie Film FestivalNew York
United States
October 2, 2019
North American Premiere
Official Selection / Best Cinematographer -
Berlin Obscura Film FestivalBerlin
Germany
October 17, 2019
German Premiere
Official Selection -
Madrid Indie Film FestivalMadrid
Spain
November 15, 2019
Spanish Premiere
Official Selection -
Top Shorts Film FestivalIstanbul
Turkey
January 27, 2020
Turkish Premiere
Official Selection -
73rd Salerno International Film FestivalSalerno
Italy
November 15, 2019
Italian Premiere
Best Foreign Short Film -
Florence Film Festival and AwardFlorence
Italy
April 18, 2020
Best Director -
Golden Nugget Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
April 24, 2020
UK Premiere
Best Director -
London X4 - Seasonal Short Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
May 23, 2020
Special Mention
Sofija Sztepanov is a Serbian-Hungarian writer-director for film. She has written and directed two short films: her first short film, ‘Tinder Will Understand’ (2016) premiered at the Raindance Film Festival and was also shown at the Femme Filmmakers Festival (2017). She was a jury member of the Giornate Degli Autori - Venice Film Festival (2017) and the LUX Film Prize Ambassador. Most recently she has been selected as the participant of the Reykjavík International Film Festival’s Talent Program with her first feature film script. ‘Antifeminist’ is her biggest project to date.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I’m Sofija Sztepanov, the writer-director of Antifeminist – the movie. I wanted to tell you about why I made this film and why I find its topic so important.
The first thing that I need to clarify is that Antifeminist is not an anti-feminist film. Despite its provocative title, the film actually sets out to defend feminism in the face of the huge controversy that surrounds it in recent years in the media, and subsequently misleads the public perception of feminism. The film speaks out against extremism and men-hating, and it tries to encourage people to rethink what the true message of feminism really is.
Only 34% of women called themselves feminist in the UK (2018 YouGov poll), 33% in France and a mere 8% did so in Germany. On the other hand, 8 out of 10 respondents said that men and women should be treated equally in every way, agreeing sexism is still an issue.
So, what is it in the word “feminist” that brings the grand majority of people to say that they are not one? Answers vary from – “I do not want to be equal to men in all senses” to something as simple as “I like men”. But probably one of the most interesting answers came in the shape of the question: “What is a modern feminist?”
And that is exactly the topic of this film. The film follows a popular feminist blogger who, through a nightmare-like experience, finds herself reevaluating what feminism means for her, what a modern feminist is, and where the movement is heading in the 21st century.
All of this I tried to convey through an entertaining Eyes Wide Shut and Alice in Wonderland-like visually captivating narrative. The film was shot in five different locations – two of which were royal castles, with a crew of 60 individuals (majorly composed of women), 50 actors and extras. I got to work with an incredibly inspiring cinematographer - Eszter Csepeli, with whom we decided to shoot the film in 8K- a Hungarian gaffer legend - Miklós Hajdu - and international actors spanning from Brazil to the UK.
In the spirit of independent filmmaking, we raised our funds through crowdfunding and searched for sponsors to help our project. We were the first Hungarian film to be fully sponsored by ARRI; we received authorizations from the publicists of prestigious writers such as J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien to mention their works in the film; we were supported by Prop Club, a very prestigious prop company, and several Hungarian fashion brands. We shot for seven days in absolutely stunning locations with a fantastic team.
The team and I would be honored if the film could be shown with you. We hope to hear from you soon.
Best Wishes
Sofija Sztepanov