Female Filmmakers will change the fabric of society.

I made my first short film in 2016 and quickly realized I wanted to work more. I wanted to make films with women. About women. For women. I wanted to meet women with contrasting and complementary skills, with the same level of experience, with the same willingness to collaborate. I could not find this, instead what I found was a depressing trail of numbers that reflected the lack of female presence in the film and TV industry.

BWFF was founded in response to a lack of diversity in the film festival circuit. Film festivals screen almost 3x as many narrative features directed by men as by women. High profile film festivals in the U.S., employ more than twice as many men as women in key behind-the-scene roles. Women are not the gatekeepers in the industry and their work is not being seen equally.

Filmmakers without an audience do not get opportunities. Without opportunities female filmmakers do not get jobs, and without women getting jobs as key creatives on films, the bulk of society's stories are coming from one half of the population. There is a domino effect that starts at this small level- the festival circuit- and then carries on from that. But if women are given the chance to tell their stories, they will change the fabric of society.

All of our ticket proceeds have been donated to New York Women in Film and TV and we have sponsored over 300 waiver programs for women from countries like Iraq, India, Syria, Iran, Thailand and beyond.

People believe in what we are doing because we are doing positive, quality work that gives a platform to talented, marginalized voices.

Katy-May Hudson
Founder/Festival Director