The Athena Film Festival (AFF)  has announced the winners and finalists for the 2023 Athena List, the fest’s selection of the best unproduced screenplays highlighting female leadership.

“The winners of the 2023 Athena List are ‘Driverless,’ by Hari Leigh; ‘Going Dutch,’ by Kate Condé Hamilton; ‘Laylayon,’ by Nic Yulo; and ‘Scarce,’ by Mrittika Sarin. The finalists are ’72,’ by Marissa Chibas; ‘Blue Veil,’ by Shireen Alihaji; ‘The Copeland Case,’ by Cecilia Copeland; and ‘Requiem for a Glacier,’ by Stephanie Falkeis,” per The Hollywood Reporter. 

“Driverless” follows a robotics engineer on a cross-country journey. “Going Dutch” tells the story of a scientist involved with Amsterdam’s wealthiest bachelor. “Scarce” is a portrait software engineer trying to get justice for an underprivileged community. “Laylayon” sees an immigrant mother returning to her ancestral home in the Philippine jungle.

“Finalist ’72’ centers around a Cuban refugee and her teenage daughter’s secret on New Year’s Eve in New York, 1972,” per the source. “‘The Copeland Case,’ based on the true story of the Copeland kidnappings, follows a woman’s fight in the U.S. and Israel to get back her children. ‘Blue Veil’ follows a Muslim teenager as she grapples with her identity amid new exposure in a post-9/11 world. And ‘Requiem for a Glacier,’ based on a short film, follows a glaciologist who visits her estranged home in a remote village in the Alps and confronts her past while challenged by her activist mother over a local glacier that could become a ski resort.”

Now in its 13th edition, the AFF will take place from March 2-5 on Barnard’s campus. Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till” is set to open the fest. You can find more information about AFF and purchase tickets via the fest’s website. 

Melissa Silverstein, Women and Hollywood’s Founder and Publisher, is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of AFF.