The Athena Film Festival (AFF) is furthering its mission to empower and support women filmmakers. The fest has announced the inaugural Athena Breakthrough Award, which will recognize a first- or second-time filmmaker who identifies as a woman for a feature-length narrative or documentary film that spotlights a fierce and fearless woman leader — or leaders. The film must not have secured U.S. distribution prior to January 1, 2020.
We’ll have to wait until the AFF awards dinner, slated for February 26, for the winning filmmaker to be announced. The director will receive a $25,000 grant sponsored by Netflix, and their film will screen at AFF.
“With the festival now in its 10th year, we are thrilled to announce this Breakthrough Award in partnership with Netflix, which allows us to highlight a filmmaker who is at the beginning of her career and to be part of pushing the industry toward being more inclusive,” said Melissa Silverstein, artistic director and co-founder of the AFF and founder of Women and Hollywood.
Kathryn Kolbert, co-founder and producing director of the festival at Barnard College, added, “We are deeply committed to bolstering the pipeline of stories that showcase women leaders in complex and nuanced ways. There are so many talented breakthrough artists in the industry right now. Through this award, we are honored to spotlight their dynamic work.”
“For the past decade, the Athena Film Festival has supported female filmmakers and celebrated the stories of strong women leaders,” commented Lisa Nishimura, vice president of independent film and documentary features at Netflix. “This award will help create more opportunities to find new and emerging voices, and we are thrilled to be part of it.”
The Athena Breakthrough Award marks the latest addition to the Parity Pipeline Program, AFF’s filmmaker development program, which includes screenwriting labs, master classes, the Athena List, and the recently announced Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant.
The 10th annual AFF will take place February 27-March 1 in New York City at Barnard College. The fest screens films, television, and other media celebrating women leaders. The 2020 festival co-chairs include Amma Asante, J.J. Abrams, Debra Martin Chase, Geralyn Dreyfous, Sherry Lansing, Jon Levin, Katie McGrath. Vernā Myers, Pat Mitchell, Sheila Nevins, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Regina K. Scully, and Rachel Weisz. Passes are on sale now, and the fest’s lineup will be announced in January. Head over AFF’s website for more information.
