With more than 1,500 attendees last year, the festival is held at Germany’s oldest cinema, Moviemento, with tickets priced at €12 per screening. Beyond features, the event offers short film blocks, a lineup of music videos, and a special talk with German actress Katja Weitzenböck on the rising role of intimacy coordinators in filmmaking.
That event will feature a custom drink menu prepared by Bar Raval — owned by Daniel Brühl, one of Germany’s most celebrated actors — in keeping with the film theme.
Filmmakers will also join audiences for post-screening Q&As, offering a chance for personal insights into their work.
“We want to give them a platform to share their unique stories and their diverse voices, and allow more women and female directors to showcase their talent and also be awarded for it,” Russman said.
While the festival shines a spotlight on female creatives, the films touch on everything from climate change and migration to losing a child.
“Not all films are centered around ‘female topics,’” Russman said. “That's really important to mention, because I think some people hear Female Filmmakers Festival and they think it's only going to be about female-centric topics. And that's not the case at all. But it's just a different lens on global issues, universal experiences.”
She added that the festival is “open for everyone to attend, no matter age, gender, race, anything.”
The festival will close out with an award ceremony, bestowing prizes like “Best Festival Feature,”
“Best Director,” “Best Performance,” and the “She is on Fire Award.” Submissions open for next year’s edition the day after the festival closes.
“At a time when the voices and aspirations and ambitions of women are being called into question, in general, in society, I would say that the festival really celebrates and upholds [them],” Russman said.
The full programme with links to buy tickets can be found online.
