WHAT IS IT?

An online film festival showcasing the short film works directed by women - as well as bringing further attention to some feature films. Now in its 11th year!

WHAT HAPPENS?

A celebration of women and the visual stories they tell. Promoting and encouraging live screenings, with details of where to stream / watch. This includes a curated selection of feature films and submissions of short films. Special focus on certain directors, podcasts, reviews, featured articles from passionate writers, interviews with filmmakers and cast, as well as extensive coverage across social media to spread the word. All entries too have access to other short film screenings and filmmaker engagement.

WHERE AND WHEN?

Runs for 10 days between Friday 14th to Sunday 23rd August, with daily updates and coverage of the event at www.femmefilmmakersfestival.online and www.filmotomy.com.

Please email Robin at: write@filmotomy.com with any questions.

Awards & Prizes

From the Competition Selection of short films there is a roll of honour at the close of the festival. A small jury is assembled, who watch all selected films and converse to honour the short films in various categories. No physical prize or cash reward is given, the main goal is to provide a great awareness of female filmmakers. Official letters and laurels of prize honours can be made available.

The categories are:

Gold Sovereign (Grand Prize)
Silver Sword (Second Prize)
Bronze Bell (Third prize)
Directing
Female Performance
Male Performance
Writing
Cinematography
Editing
Original Music
Sound Design
Visual Design
Mixed Media
Special Contribution Prize
The Maya Deren Short Film Innovation Prize
Student Inspiration Prize

At last year's 10th edition, marked the first time a student film won a competitive prize, so in certain circumstances, short films from the Entrée and Showcase Selection can be eligible for a prize.

Rules & Terms

Film submissions are limited, given the 10 day period of the festival event.

The decision of the festival organisers as to the selected films and the amount of films part of the festival is final.

Female filmmakers don't have to be established, but access to their work is essential. Screeners are accepted, as is access to the film online.

There must be an understanding that there is no official cash rewards. Filmotomy and the Femme Filmmakers Festival organisers do strive to offer the best coverage and publicity for the films and their makers.

Submissions cost £7 per short film (£6 Film Freeway Gold Members; £5 student film), depending on the considered selection at the 11th edition of our online film festival. This could be in either of the selections:

Showcase (short films outside of current season)
Competition (short films within the current season)
Entrée (student short films or first short films outside of current season)

Short films in the official selection will be considered in a generally open release window, but limited to between 2025 (not previously considered) and March 2026 for this year's Competition Selection. There is some leniency on the exact dates, given the worldwide variation of film release dates.

There is no restrictions regarding genre, country of origin, etc. Of course, films directed exclusively by the male gender would not be eligible for main selection, but considered elsewhere should there be - for example - female producer or writer. Co-directors considered should have at least one female. The event is in no way aimed to discriminate against male filmmakers.

Feature film submissions are welcome, and can be part of the Femme Filmmakers Festival, though will run out of competition alongside the other feature films.
9 Reviews
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  • Galina Chakarova

    It was an honour to be part of the Femme Filmmakers Festival.
    Robin and the rest of the organising team are truly brilliant - they’ve created a unique and inspiring event that celebrates the work of female directors in such a meaningful way.

    As part of the festival, Robin facilitated an interview with me and some of the key collaborators on the project, giving us a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our creative process and share insights about the film.

    We’re also incredibly proud to have received the awards for Best Film and Best Editing — a huge thank you to the festival jury for this recognition!

    October 2025
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  • Misha Hassan

    Super grateful to be a part of the festival this year. Communication was top notch and I got to do an interview to talk about my film too! Thank you to Robin and team.

    October 2025
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  • OPIA Collective

    It was such a wonderful festival to be a part of and thank you so much to Robin for organising and facilitating such a wonderful festival. Being a part of such a brilliant line up was incredibly rewarding and empowering as a female filmmaker.

    October 2025
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  • Cansu Boguslu

    I was honored to be part of the festival with my film. Thank you so much for “Best Director” and “Best Cinematography” awards 🥇 Great selection of films, perfect communication and reviews. Hope to meet you again!

    October 2022
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  • Ella Greenwood

    A wonderful festival that chooses a great selection of films so I was very happy to have Faulty Roots take part. The support received was amazing, and I look forward to the next FemmeFilmFest!

    September 2020
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