Women Over 50 Film Festival is an inclusive festival which celebrates older women in all their diversity. WOFFF showcases the work of older women on both sides of the camera. We look to them to drive our stories – as filmmakers and performers.
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’re delighted to be launching a new filmmaking prize in 2021 - The TENA Ageless award is for short WOFFF21 films which reflect the theme “Our bodies change. But why should we?”
Why have a film festival concentrating on older women in film? Recently Polygraph looked at 2,000 films and found that women aged between 42 and 69 spoke only 20% of film dialogue; men of the same age spoke almost 39%. While Directors UK reported that of over 2,500 films made from 2005 to 2014, only 13% were directed exclusively by women. Women Over 50 Film Festival is doing something positive to address this imbalance in the representation of older women in front of and behind the camera, by screening work which celebrates older women in film.
Because of COVID-19 restrictions WOFFF20 moved from being a festival hosted in a cinema venue – Depot, Lewes, East Sussex - to being an online festival where we screened 58 short films and hosted filmmaker Q&As.
We’re hoping WOFFF21 will take place in our usual cinema home, Depot in Lewes, East Sussex but we’ll be ready for to move online if COVID restrictions come into force again. We’ll keep you, our filmmakers, updated if the festival becomes a virtual one.
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. And our festival audience also votes for its favourite film.
Here are filmmakers on what they love about WOFFF:
“I would just like to say that having my animation selected for this festival was one of my lockdown highlights and accompanying that was a very warm, welcoming Festival who never hesitated to answer my questions and carried on giving me very warm, encouraging and helpful support to someone who is new to the film festival world.”
Lou Sumray
“We were so pleased to be a part of WOFFF 2020 - the organisers were so welcoming and organised and even with the move online they made a great feeling of being in a community of women film makers. Thank you!”
Celia Willis
“This is one of my favourite film festivals; passionate and inspiring. It was professionally organised and a joy to be a part of. Winning was an incredible bonus and we loved the commentary of the judges. Thank you Team WOFFF.”
Ailís Logan
PRIZES FOR WOFFF21 FILMS
Prizes for Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best animation, Best experimental, Audience Choice award and Best Student Film include:
- £75 cash
- a winner's certificate
- a bottle of Mother's Ruin Gin (student filmmakers must be over 18 for this prize)
- winning films (films awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd place or commended prizes) and shown as part of the WOFFF Best of the Fest UK 2021 Tour. The 2020 tour included screenings at:
Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace, London, England
East London Out Project, London, England
and, because of COVID-19 restrictions, virtual screenings with
Switchboard – the LGBTQ+ Helpline
East London Out Project, London, England
WOFFF's weekly watchalong screenings of WOFFF shorts + feature films from April – August
PRIZES FOR TENA AGELESS AWARD FILMS
The TENA Ageless Award winner will receive a cash prize of £500, and the runner-up and 3rd place filmmakers will receive £300 and £200 respectively.