At Women Over 50 Film Festival we showcase 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).

WOFFF is an inclusive festival which celebrates older women in all their diversity. If your short film has an older woman at is heart – on screen or behind the camera – it’s eligible for submission to WOFFF. All ages, all genders are welcome at WOFFF. In our first festival in 2015 we screened a documentary two young trans men made about an older trans woman and since then we have been a festival which is welcoming and inclusive to all.

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.

At our 2019 festival we screened 51 shorts, 2 feature films, hosted panels, lectures, workshops and networking events.

We award prizes for:
Best Animation
Best Experimental
Best Drama
Best Documentary
Best Student Film
Audience Choice

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:

"Here is a wonderful festival in beautiful Lewes! Beautifully curated, friendly staff, great venue, plenty of opportunities for networking. Totally worth the trip from New York."
Vivian Rivas, director

"Brilliant film festival. A beautifully curated selection of UK & international films and a very interesting & inspiring industry talks and workshops. Highlights for me - the panel of film makers with Funke Oyebanjo, Rehana Rose, Thomasina Gibson and Alexandra Sage, slickly hosted by Rebecca Kesby, and Ita O’Brien’s Intimacy on Set workshop. Our drama 'The Last Mermaid' received genuine, interested support from Nuala and her talented team from the outset - excellent communications throughout the entire process and on top of the financial prizes a bonus bottle of delicious 'Mother's Ruin' gin for all us winners!
Friendly, relaxed local and international networking which feels inclusive & accessible (loved that every event is BSL-signed, and all films subtitled.) Depot is an intimate, unique venue with top cinema screens, a restaurant and a bar, just 2 minutes from Lewes train station. I’ll be going back next year with pals - young, old, men, women ... roll on #WOFFF2020!”
Angela Gourley, producer

"A chance to meet a lot of interesting women"
Jennifer Granville, actor and filmmaker

"WOFFF is a brilliant and vital festival which celebrates stories and voices that are so often absent from mainstream cinema. I was honoured to have my short film screen there. As a filmmaker, being part of WOFFF has been brilliant. Not only was my film screened at the festival but I now feel part of a community of filmmakers continually being encouraged and supported by the festival team"
Rebecca Brand, director

“If we are lucky we spend as many years old as we do young. It’s high time women in the film industry are seen not just as frail old ladies waiting to die, but as women with strength, experience of life, fascinating stories to tell and celebrating the beauty of age. WOFFF is a great pioneer of this cause.”
Linda Marlowe, actor, producer and director

Your short film should be a complete film (not a work in progress or part of feature film). Each short submitted should have a woman over 50 at the heart of it on screen or a woman over 50 as the writer, producer or director.

Awards & Prizes

PRIZES FOR SIX WINNING FILMMAKERS
Prizes for Best Drama, Best Documentary, Best animation, Best experimental, Audience Choice award and Best Student Film include:
- £50 cash
- a winner's certificate
- a bottle of Mother's Ruin Gin (student filmmakers must be over 18 for this prize)
- winning films shown as part of the WOFFF Best of the Fest UK 2020 Tour. The 2019 tour included screenings at:
Mother’s Ruin Gin Palace, London, England
East London Out Project, London, England
Duke of York’s Picturehouse, Brighton, England
Depot, Lewes, England
HOME, Manchester, England
Alan Stevenson House, Isle of Tiree, Scotland
The Magic Lantern, Tywyn, Wales
Dublin Film Society, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

Rules & Terms

RULES & TERMS FOR FILM SUBMISSIONS
1) Your film has to have a woman over 50 at its centre or a woman over 50 in the core creative team (writer, producer or director).

2) The maximum length for films are:
animation – 12 minutes
experimental – 12 minutes
drama - 20 minutes
documentary – 25 minutes.

3) Your film has to be in English or have English subtitles.

4) You must pay a fee to submit your film if you are a non-student filmmaker (Earlybird, Regular and Late submissions have different fees).

5) You may send more than one film, but a submission fee must be paid for each entry and a separate application must be made for each film.

6) Submission to WOFFF constitutes agreement to all rules, regulations and conditions here and your consent that your film be considered for any awards that may be given at WOFFF.

7) Submission also certifies that all film and music rights, licenses and clearances have been obtained in accordance with UK copyright laws. WOFFF will not be responsible for any copyright infringement.

8) By submitting, you agree not to withdraw your film from WOFFF after it has been accepted by the WOFFF selection team.

9) By submitting, you give us permission to use publicity stills provided and up to 30 seconds of footage for use in WOFFF marketing and publicity.

10) WOFFF is committed to making screenings and events accessible to all, including people who are D/deaf and Hard of Hearing. If your film is selected, you give WOFFF permission to add inclusive features, like subtitles or captions to your film if it doesn’t already have them.

11) If your film is selected, you give us permission to screen your film at the WOFFF Best of the Fest tour and other WOFFF events following WOFFF 2020 until December 2021.

12) A “Student Film” is one directed by a student currently in full or part-time adult education, or who has graduated in the last academic year (i.e. for WOFFF 2020 submissions, students who graduated in 2019) which complies with all the rules about film submissions. WOFFF will require proof of student status. Please see Custom Form for further information about student submissions and attachments you must send WOFFF.

13) If submitted to the student category, you must inform WOFFF of your official school, college or university email address and postal address, as well as informing WOFFF of the course and the qualification you are studying for. See the Custom Form for further details.

14) WOFFF is committed to screening a diversity of older women’s voices worldwide. A limited bursary fund is available to assist filmmakers with their submissions fees to enable them to submit work to WOFFF. Since 2017 WOFFF has offered bursaries to filmmakers with work from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the USA and the UK. To apply for a submission bursary, please request further information by sending an email to (info[@]wofff.co.uk).
58 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Louise Moyes

    We were thrilled to be chosen to present our film On Hold at WOFFF. Communication, organization, promotion and welcome were stellar. Outreach so well thought out. Plus 21st century film Workshops by women, for women filmmakers. Superbe!
    Louise Moyes Producer and Nicola Hawkins Director
    Newfoundland, Canada

    December 2019
    Helpful
  • Heather Dirckze

    This is my second year being a student filmmaker in WOFFF and it just gets better and better. This is such a wonderful festival and every year I feel so valued as a filmmaker due to the patience and kindness of Nuala and everyone else involved behind the scenes. I hope I can continue to be involved year after year!

    November 2019
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  • Cecelia Condit

    I love this film festival. It is a place for older women to screen where you are appreciated and highlighted. And Nuala has been wonderful!

    October 2019
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  • Lois Norman

    A breath of fresh and empowering creative air! Thank you for Screening She is Juiced: Slice Four - Sarah Jane Moon! I had a fantastic time meeting both like minded and different woman and learning from the films and workshops! What a unique weekend! See you next year! Lois

    October 2019
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  • Kabecca Films

    Wonderful to have been part of such an inspiring and important festival! The communication was fantastic and it was great to participate in networking events to meet fellow filmmakers. Will definitely be back to watch next year's selection and would recommend the festival without hesitation!

    October 2019
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