Women Over 50 Film Festival (WOFFF) is an inclusive short film festival celebrating older women in all their diversity.
Since 2015, we’ve been showcasing fun, fearless and real films made by and about older women.
We welcome submissions from all ages, all genders, all experiences, and from all around the world. We want to see filmmakers over 50 driving the stories as filmmakers, creatives, and performers. We also want to see work by younger filmmakers that centres on older women.
Each film we screen at WOFFF must follow one simple rule: It must have a woman over 50 at its centre on-screen, or a woman over 50 in the core creative team, as a writer, producer, or director.
Film submissions for our 2025 Festival are now open.
Short script submissions are open from 25 March 2025. We accept only 50 scripts, so the script submission window is shorter than our film submission 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.” Moreover, 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 that celebrates older women in film.
In 2025, we will hold our 11th edition! Since 2021, we’ve been a hybrid festival, taking place online and in person at our home cinema, Depot, in Lewes, East Sussex.
WOFFF25 at Depot will take place on Saturday 13 September and be the official opening of the Festival!
WOFFF25 Online will take place from Sunday 14 September to Sunday 12 October.
All short films selected for screening at WOFFF are eligible for our competition. Films are judged by professionals from each category—animation, comedy, documentary, drama and experimental. Our festival audience also votes for their favourite film.
PRIZES FOR WOFFF25 FILMS
Prizes for Best Drama, Best Comedy, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Experimental, Best Student Film, Best Short Script and the 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 your film screened as part of the WOFFF Best of the Fest UK 2025 Tour. Previous tours have included 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 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