Women Over 50 Film Festival is an inclusive festival which celebrates older women in all their diversity. WOFFF showcases films that are fun, fearless and real and made by older women on either side of the camera. We want to see women over 50 driving stories – as filmmakers and performers. And we want to see work by younger filmmakers which centre on older women.
WOFFF is a British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) qualifying festival.
Each film we screen at WOFFF has to follow this one simple rule – it must have a woman over 50 at its centre or a woman over 50 in the core creative team (writer, producer or director).
We welcome submissions from filmmakers of all ages and genders.
We will welcome short scripts when script submissions open around March/April 2024. We accept only 50 scripts so the script submissions window is shorter than our film submissions window.
Why have a film festival concentrating on older women in film? A recent report “Women Over 50: The Right to be Seen on Screen” from the Geena Davis Institute analysed the most popular films and television shows from 2010 to 2020 and found that “on-screen ageism persists and is particularly evident among on-screen women over 50. Just 1 in 4 characters who are over 50 are women.” What’s more, the report found that “women over 50 who are on-screen are commonly cast in supporting and minor roles and are less likely to be developed as characters in interesting ways.”
WOFFF is doing something positive to address this imbalance by screening work which celebrates older women in film.
WOFFF, now in its 10th year, is a hybrid festival. WOFFF20 was an entirely online festival. WOFFF21, WOFFF22 and WOFFF23 were hybrid ones - taking place in our usual cinema home, Depot in Lewes, East Sussex for one day, as well as online on Eventive from one week in WOFFF21 up to four weeks in WOFFF23..
WOFFF24 is going to be hybrid again - with one day in person in our cinema home, Depot, and four weeks online. WOFFF24 dates are:
Depot, Lewes Saturday 21 Sept 2024
Online 7 Sept – 7 Oct 2024
All short films selected for screening at WOFFF are eligible for our competition. Films are judged by professionals from each category field - animation, experimental, drama, and documentary. Our festival audience also votes for its favourite film too.
Here's what one filmmaker said about WOFFF23:
“What an amazing festival! WOFFF's hybrid designed festival meant that those of us not in the UK could watch the festival program, network and be supported and encouraged.” Milly James
You can read more filmmaker comments at the bottom of this page.
PRIZES FOR WOFFF24 FILMS
Prizes for Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best animation, Best experimental, Best Student Film, Best short script and Audience Choice award include:
- £75 cash
- a winner's certificate
And for the top UK-based winner in each category:
- a bottle of Mother's Ruin Gin (student filmmakers must be over 18 for this prize)
- Kit from RØDE Microphones
- One year's free membership of Picturehouse Cinemas
Prizes for winning films (films awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd place or commended prizes) include:
- a winner's certificate
- having you film screened as part of the WOFFF Best of the Fest UK 2025 Tour. Previous tours have included an in-person screenings as well as virtual screenings with:
East London Out Project, London, England
Switchboard – the LGBTQ+ Helpline
HOME Manchester
Elder care residential homes and older people’s community groups in London and Glasgow
PRIZES FOR WOFFF24 SHORT SCRIPTS
The Shedunnit Productions Prize is awarded for the winning script and includes:
- a signed copy The Woman in the Story: Writing Memorable Female Characters by Helen Jacey
- £75 cash
- a winner's certificate
- a bottle of Mother's Ruin Gin. This prize is sponsored by Mother's Ruin Gin.
Prize for the runners-up short drama scripts:
- a winner's certificate