The Best Film Festivals for Women Directors in the US
If you’re a woman trying to figure out the festival circuit, you’ve probably already learned the hard way that not all festivals are not worth your time or effort. Some talk about inclusion, this list is for the ones that actually mean it.
Athena Film Festival
Barnard College in Morningside Heights, New York City
Best for films about women’s leadership and social impact
Athena is one of those festivals where you can feel the difference the second you walk in the room. The audience isn’t there casually, they showed up because they care about stories centered on women’s leadership, and they’ll engage with your film as such.
If your work surrounds the subjects of activism, politics, or social change, this is one of the most receptive festivals you’ll find around.
Bentonville Film Festival
Bentonville, Arkansas
Best for inclusion and real distribution conversations
Geena Davis founded the Bentonville Film Festival, and the intentionality behind it is fully apparent. Inclusion isn’t just a talking point here; it’s built into the festival’s blueprint. What makes it stand out, however, is the real effort to connect films with distribution, which most festivals don’t think about at all. If you’re already thinking about what happens to your film after it runs the festival circuit, this is the festival where that conversation is most likely to materialize.
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Best for documentary work and impactful community
This festival has been around since 1987, and it has a certain je ne sais quoi rooted in its nature that newer festivals are still working toward. It leans toward documentaries and socially-impacting driven stories. The people in the audience came because they want to watch the films, not because they’re trying to network, providing a well-rounded, one-of-a-kind experience.
Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival
New York City, New York
Best for international stories
If your film has a strong cultural or international angle, it’s more likely to find its footing here than at a broader festival. The New York location and audience helps too. People who attend are usually genuinely interested in film, which can spark insightful conversation.
Femme Filth Fest
West Hollywood, California
Best for horror, exploitation, and similar works
Yes, you’re reading this right. If your film is dark, weird, or just doesn’t fit neatly into spaces that typically play it safe, this is one of the few festivals that normalizes that type of work. The audience comes specifically for work that goes in a direction that safer films don’t.
Real Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival
Brooklyn and Manhattan, New York
Best for black women filmmakers and cultural storytelling
Reel Sisters has built something real (no pun intended) over the years. It centers films by women of African descent and has established the history and audience to back that up. It’s also Oscar-qualifying, which matters if you’re thinking of the bigger picture. A strong showing here can go far.
Breakthroughs Film Festival
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Best for your first or second film
If you’re early in your career, the festival circuit can feel extremely intimidating and stressful. This festival helps break through (again, no pun intended) that uncomfortability; it’s genuinely geared towards emerging filmmakers, and the programming reflects that. Your film gets considered on its own terms here, which is worth a lot more than it sounds.
Etheria Film Showcase
Los Angeles, California and Kansas City, Missouri
Best for sci-fi, fantasy, horror, action
Genre means everything to Etheria. It’s not a showcase that programs one or two genre films to round out the lineup. If you’re trying to build a career in genre, not just screen a one-time genre film, this is one of the more valuable rooms you can be in. This is where true filmmakers merge.
LA Femme International Film Festival
Los Angeles, California
Best for getting in front of the industry
It’s LA – the location is the thing here. A screening here can lead to meetings, introductions, representation, etc, but none of it is guaranteed. If you’re hoping to have a door opened, this is one of the festivals where that’s most likely to happen.
Everett Film Festival
Everett, Washington
Best for actually being remembered
At a small festival this size, you’re not just a number, you’re remembered and more importantly, your film is remembered. You have real conversations afterward instead of exchanging cards with someone who’s already thinking about the next screening.
A note before you start submitting. The festival circuit is exhausting enough without submitting to places that were never going to get your film. You know your work. Trust your instinct when you’re building your list.
The right room exists. It’s just about finding it.
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