The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) is a competitive international women directors’ film festival established in 2001, as a not-for-profit organization. FeFF is big on audience engagement and networking. An audience Q&A follows each screening. Festival delegates receive a VIP All Access Pass to the festival (screenings, script development, industry panels, tributes, workshops, and the closing awards ceremony). The Female Eye, noted for its intimate atmosphere and accessibility, attracts film enthusiasts, emerging and internationally recognized directors, screenwriters, seasoned industry professionals, celebrities, and decision-makers in the film and television industry.

The Female Eye serves to bridge the gap between the written and media arts which includes the FeFF Photo Exhibit. We produce a robust Industry Initiatives Program consisting of panels, masterclasses, workshops, script development, live pitch competition and networking sessions. Annually, FeFF honors an Honorary Director and Honorary Maverick with a Best in the Biz Tribute, an “intimate conversation with” and award presentation.

FILMS must be directed by a women or female-identifying. The Script Development Program is open to both men and women. Priority is given to scripts that feature a female protagonist. Our competitive Script Development Program is a three-tier program comprising the Good to Go, a closed-door session with decision-makers for screenwriters with scripts that are “good to go”; the Script-Reading Series, where main scenes are read by ACTRA members before a live audience and industry guests who provide feedback to the writers.

Voted one of the “Top 50 film festivals in the world worth the entry fee” by Movie Maker magazine for 12 consecutive years (2013–2024). FeFF is an accredited festival by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and a Telefilm Talent to Watch partner. In 2024, FeFF, in partnership with the The Writers Lab (NYC) and the Firecracker Department launched the first Lab in Canada.

Awards & Prizes

Awards are presented for best films and best screenplays at the closing awards ceremony. Film award categories: Best of Show (feature film category), Best Foreign Feature, Best Canadian Feature, Best Debut Feature, Best Canadian Feature Documentary, Best Foreign Feature Documentary, Best Short Foreign Documentary, Best Short Canadian Documentary, Best Foreign Short, Best Canadian Short, Best Animation and Best Experimental. Screenplay award categories: Best Screenplay, Best Fresh Voice, Best Low Budget. The Live Pitch competition features eight writers who pitch in front of a industry jury. The winner for Best Live Pitch takes home $1500 and a $10,000 equipment grant for their project.
This competition is open to national and international writers.

FeFF reserves the right to the adapt award statues to meet programming. FeFF Awards are hand-welded one-of-a-kind engraved statuettes. Development and equipment grants augment the film awards annually.

Rules & Terms

Films must be directed by women or female-identifying and must have been produced within two years of the festival .Films cannot be streaming, televised, nor playing theatrically in Canada. We give priority to films that have not yet screened in Toronto.

The fee for to be entered in the film and screenplay competition is applicable to all deadlines and genres. Filmmakers and screenwriters must elect to compete for an award at FeFF. The flat fee to enter the competition is $100 regardless of the deadline, genre, or project duration. FeFF programmers can also choose to nominate a project into the competition if they feel a project is award-worthy.

FeFF has the right to disqualify any film not submitted through FilmFreeway without refund of any application fees. FeFF can change award categories and program offerings at their discretion.

FeFF does not offer refunds upon submission.

The applicant must hold copyright clearance and any copyrighted material in the film.

Films not in English must be subtitled in English.
48 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Katie Uhlmann

    FeFF is a wonderful festival that draws filmmakers from around the world. The quality of the films is exceptional, as is the industry programming. The screenings are in beautiful venues and there are lots of panels, workshops and networking opportunities. Thank you to the entire team!

    November 2024
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  • Leigh Himel

    Incredible community and wonderfully run festival. They care about creators and have built a supportive, open feel. I can't recommend them enough. A++++

    August 2024
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  • Sara AlThani

    I am honored to have my film selected for this year's awards. Thank you for recognizing my work and supporting diverse voices in cinema. I am excited to be part of this wonderful community!

    August 2024
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  • Jillian Corsie

    I was so thrilled to be accepted into the Female Eye Film Fest after years of submitting! Communication was top notch and they even had a networking zoom with smaller breakout rooms that I very much enjoyed. While I wasn't able to attend the festival in person, they kept us updated via email and social media. I feel so privileged to be a part of this community and look forward to submitting and attending in the future!

    August 2024
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  • Birgitta Liljedahl

    This event was well organized and gave ample opportunities for meaningful industry networking. Its a real live event with a pleasant open atmosphere and a wealth of interesting films. We are very grateful to the organizers for the opportunity to participate, and the received award.

    August 2024
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