I just wanted to let you all know about an exciting new project I am working on — The Athena Film Festival – It’s a film festival that focuses on women’s leadership and will take place at Barnard College in NYC next February 10-13th.
I am producing the festival and am in the process of looking for films to program for the festival. Below is all the information you need to know if you are interested in submitting a film. Please do not submit a film just because it is directed by a woman. Please do not submit a film just because it has a woman as the lead. Read the criteria before you submit. Thanks. I can’t wait to see what people submit. Please spread this info far and wide.
The Athena Film Festival
February 10-13, 2011
Film is a medium known to most people in nearly every part of the world. Films have power. They create conversation. They reveal truths. They inspire. And that is why Barnard College is proud to launch the Athena Film Festival, a world-class celebration of film and the women who write and direct them, who are behind the camera, in front of the camera, and in the industry at-large.
Through feature films, documentaries, and shorts, the Festival will explore what makes a leader. Is it the ability to inspire people to fight injustice or stand up for the rights of those who are powerless? The festival will examine the values women leaders share—vision, courage, resilience—and explore leadership across race, class, and culture. The Festival will highlight the wide diversity of women’s leadership in both real life and the fictional world, illuminating the sometimes passionate, sometimes agonizing stories of women from across the globe who have made a difference in their countries and communities. Our goal is to open a robust dialogue about women and leadership: what it takes to excel, collaborate, lead, and inspire.
The festival program will include films from across the globe—new films, those shown only on festival circuits that have not had wide exposure, and retrospectives of seminal works that have changed our views of women and women’s leadership.
The program will include:
- Feature films that tell the extraordinary stories of strong, bold women leaders from all walks of life—stories of ambition, courage, resilience.
- Documentaries that showcase women leaders who have used grit and moxie to make a difference—captivating stories of determination, innovation and vision.
- Short films that highlight the talents of emerging artists — films that capture not only the stories of women, but a new generation’s take on what makes exemplary leaders.
If you have a film to submit, or know of a film that would fit into our Festival, please send a short description of the film and any appropriate links.
Also include:
The name of the film.
The type of film: documentary, fiction, or short.
Running time.
The year the film was made.
If the films had any type of release in theatres, DVD or on TV.
Country of origin.
Whether you have applied for and been accepted to or played other film festivals.
Contact information: email, phone and address.
Email info to: athenafilmfest@womenandhollywood.com
We will contact you if we would like you to submit the film. We will only accept submissions on DVD. (Works in progress, rough cuts, films directed by men, and films made outside US are eligible.)
Submission deadline: September 1, 2010
For all questions contact Melissa Silverstein – 718-638-3076 or Melissa@womenandhollywood.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Athena Film Festival is a project of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College, an interdisciplinary center devoted to the theory and practice of women’s leadership. The Festival is produced by Women & Hollywood, a leader of the online conversation about women’s roles in the film business.

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This sounds amazing! I will spread the word. So wonderful to see you last night, you are as inspirational as ever.
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