Equal Footing is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower women and underrepresented voices in the film industry to tell their stories and get their projects off the ground. The Equal Footing Female Film Festival is one of the first ever all female film festivals celebrating films made 100% by women, bringing together the best emerging female talent in the world.

Equal Footing Film Festival -- in association with HA Festival: The Art of Comedy last took place on September 17-19 2021, 3 days, 6+ Venues in the San Antonio Riverwalk Area, 20+ Shows where all forms of comedy art, including stand up, sketch, variety and film, were on display through Live Events, Livecast and Streaming. The festival is sponsored by Warner Media, AT&T, and HBO Max.

From thousands of submissions from across the country, noteworthy female filmmakers are selected as finalists to be flown out all expenses paid to the festival to premiere their films -- which will be judged by Equal Footing vetted judges including celebrity comedians.

We also host a panel including celebrity speakers and noteworthy female directors and executives. The members of our jury are award winning artists and executives from all around the world.

Awards & Prizes

Equal Footing Film Festival
Awards and prize money will be awarded at the end of the premiere event in San Antonio. NO international entries. ****The winning short film with be featured in the comedy special airing on HBO Max!**** This is an extraordinarily unique opportunity for your film to be featured during the live taping of the comedy special for HBO Max.

PRIZE MONEY:
1st place- $1500
2nd place- $1000
3rd place- $500

Rules & Terms

1. Project must be created by female identifying person(s).
2. Submitted material must not exceed 13 min including credits. Submitted written material (screenplays) must not exceed 10 pages.
3. Project streaming on VOD platforms and Youtube/Vimeo are eligible if created within the last 3 years.
4. Films must have been completed within the past three years.
5. Non English language films need to have English subtitles.
6. Premiere status is not required and all films are qualified to submit.
7. The festival has the right to use promotional material.
8. The filmmaker has secured all the rights.
9. Entry fees are non refundable.
10. All entries must be of comedy genre.

Only For the Equal Footing Film Festival:
1. Filmmakers must reside in the United States. No international entries.

4 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Donna Wheeler

    So thrilled to be an Honorable Mention recipient for our short script, No le digas a Mama (Don't Tell Mama) !! Gracias to the Fest team for elevating women's voices, and I hope to return for a future, in-person festival :-)

    September 2021
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  • Nahreen Tarzi

    This was definitely my favorite festival thus far! And we've been blessed to be accepted into many. Anna and Lana made sure everyone was treated well, were very communicative, gave us a panel to speak about our films, and just tried hard to make sure everything was worth our while. Not to mention an awesome gift bag! They even gave passes to my lead actress and guest, too. They worked tirelessly and it was well worth it - congrats on an awesome festival! I definitely plan to be back. I loved meeting the other female filmmakers, too! Everyone's project was so good and carefully chosen. Thank you for giving female filmmakers a platform and trying to actually help us. I only wish I could have stayed the entire weekend. But one day was well worth it!

    September 2021
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  • Aysha Wax

    This was the best festival I have ever beet to hands down. Getting to meet all the amazing women filmmakers, being flown to San Antonio and meeting the just fantastic festival founders. Honestly, it was pure magic. And I cannot speak more highly of this festival. I loved every minute of it and if you are a woman filmmaker you have to apply.

    September 2021
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  • Monique Sorgen

    Well that was a fun 24 hours! I arrived in San Antonio (which is a beautiful small city with great food and architecture) and had a whirlwind time going from movie screenings and talks to awards, and ultimately the HBO Max taping of the HA stand up comedy show, followed by a super fun rooftop party (in 80 degree night weather) with food and drink, where we danced all night. The films were all funny. The organizers Anna and Lana were sweet, professional, and highly dedicated to showing everyone a great time. The swag was amazing, and the other filmmakers were all driven, smart, funny women who are going places. It was intimate, as a first year festival, so we all bonded and shared a moment we'll never forget.

    September 2021
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