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. Audience Q&As follow 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 film arts. We produce a robust Industry Initiatives Program consisting of panels, masterclasses, workshops, script development, and pitch 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, and the LIVE PITCH a juried pitch competition. The winner takes home $2,500 cash prize.
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 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. FeFF reserves the right to the adapt award categories to meet programming. FeFF Awards are hand-welded one-of-a-kind engraved statuettes. Development and equipment grants augment the film awards annually.