The 10th annual Athena Film Festival (AFF) kicks off in just over two weeks and — adding to the excitement — the fest has unveiled its 2020 awardees, the winners of the Athena List, and additional programming to the previously announced lineup.
Unjoo Moon, the director AFF 2020 opening film “I Am Woman,” will be presented with the Athena Breakthrough Award. “Dedicated to elevating female filmmakers, the newly created award will recognize a standout first- or second-time filmmaker of a narrative or documentary who identifies as a woman and whose film has not yet secured U.S. distribution as of January 1, 2020,” a press release detailed. Per the honor, Moon will receive $25,000 to attend “I Am Woman” screenings as it opens around the world.
The other Athena awardees are Golden Globe-nominated “Booksmart” actress Beanie Feldstein, veteran producer and newly-minted CEO of Gamechanger Effie T. Brown (“Dear White People”), and “Someone Great” writer-director and “Thor: Love and Thunder” scribe Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.
“The Athena Film Festival is thrilled to commemorate this incredible group of honorees whose talent brings unique voices and artistic vision to the industry and continues to pave the way for future generations of women filmmakers,” said AFF co-founder Kathryn Kolbert. “We are very grateful to have Effie, Beanie, Jennifer, and Unjoo join us for the festival and look forward to celebrating their achievements and seeing what triumphs are in store for them.”
Prizes will be given out at the Athena Film Festival Awards Ceremony on February 26.
Nina Kentsis, Tricia Lee, Nijla Mu’min, Joy Goodwin, and Cherien Dabis made this year’s Athena List, a slate of the best unproduced scripts featuring women leaders. Kentsis’ script, “Auto High,” sees a high schooler turning to street racing to earn money for college, while Lee’s “Mother-Daughter” centers on the unexpected bond an undocumented Asian woman forms with a trans teen. Mu’min’s “Noor” explores the connection between a black woman grieving her brother’s death and an Arab man working at the bodega where he was killed. “Over It,” from Goodwin, follows two women superheroes — a working mom and a millennial trainee — and Dabis’ “What the Eyes Don’t See” is the story of Flint water crisis whistleblower Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha.
“The introduction of the Athena List has made women-driven narratives about female leaders a priority, and we are pleased to present this year’s list of dynamic scripts,” said AFF co-founder and Women and Hollywood founder/publisher Melissa Silverstein. “We are also excited about the additional films in this year’s lineup ranging from a recent breakout at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to Academy Award-nominated features, as well as one previous Athena List-winning screenplay.”
Sophia Takal’s 2019 update of “Black Christmas” has been added to the schedule, as has Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-winning “Little Women,” box office smash “Frozen 2,” and Marjane Satrapi’s Marie Curie biopic “Radioactive.” Athena List winner Chinonye Chukwu’s portrait of a conflicted death row prison warden, “Clemency,” Eliza Hittman’s abortion drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” and Nichelle Nichols doc “Woman in Motion” will also screen.
Athena will host events with “a range of industry leaders, both behind and in front of the camera, with a curated program of master classes and panels that will touch on a wide expanse of topics.” These include panels The Present and Future of Women in Animation and Women & Horror: Women as Heroes and Villains as well as a writing masterclass with “Queen Sugar’s” Valerie Woods.
AFF 2020 runs February 27-March 1 at Barnard College in NYC. Head over to the fest’s website to find our more or to purchase tickets and passes. Synopses for the Athena List winners and finalists are below, as are the panels being offered, courtesy of the fest.
Athena List Winners
“Auto High,” by Nina Kentsis
Needing money to attend her dream college, a high school girl with a knack for mechanics risks everything to enter the underworld of New York street racing.
“Mother-Daughter,” by Tricia Lee
A churchgoing, undocumented Asian woman who has a strained relationship with her daughter forms an unlikely friendship with a transgender teenager who dials the wrong number.
“Noor,” by Nijla Mu’min
Caught in the throes of grief following her brother’s unsolved murder outside of a Brooklyn bodega, a black woman develops an unexpected physical connection to the Arab man who works there. A surrender to lust and a search for truth lead their worlds to collide.
“Over It,” by Joy Goodwin
Sick of the superhero workplace bullshit, two female superheroes — a working mom and her millennial trainee — go rogue to stop a villain, changing their squad forever.
“What the Eyes Don’t See,” by Cherien Dabis
The true story of Iraqi American pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who blew the whistle on local and state government officials for exposing tens of thousands of Flint, Michigan, residents to disastrous levels of toxic lead in the water.
Athena List Finalists
“Bell,” by Dyana Winkler & Darcy Brislin
The untold story of famed inventor Alexander Graham Bell and his deaf wife, Mabel, whose marriage changed history, for better and for much worse.
“Redwood Summer,” by Rangeley Wallace
An environmental lawyer follows her husband to Alabama for his career, abandoning her successful work in Washington, D.C. Once there, she takes on an environmental case that reunites her with a long-lost love.
“Stampede,” by Sontenish Myers
On a southern plantation in the 1800s, a young slave girl has telekinetic powers she cannot control. Circumstances escalate when she’s separated from her mother to be a house girl, in close quarters with the mercurial master’s wife.
Panels
Women & Horror: Women as Heroes and Villains
Building on our successful panel on women and horror at the 2019 festival, this panel will focus on depictions of women as both heroes and villains in horror films and beyond and what this tells us about the current zeitgeist.
Film Outreach and Engagement
This panel will help filmmakers to develop effective outreach and communication plans. Using case studies and models of success, outreach and engagement experts will discuss effective strategies and best practices to ensure that audiences will be excited to see, attend, and engage with your films.
The Impact of Women Running for Office
Tired of being ignored, angered by government policies, and anxious about the future of America, thousands of women — many first-time female candidates — were inspired to run for office in 2018 in what became a barrier-breaking, historic election. Was this a moment, or is it a movement? Can the surge of women running be sustained? On this panel, we will hear from women who were elected in 2018 and those who are currently running for office to discuss the importance of female leadership and what that means for the future. Clips from the upcoming documentary “Surge” will be shown during this panel.
The Silence Breakers
The Harvey Weinstein story broke because several brave women spoke out after decades of being silent. There are upwards of 80 women who have made accusations against Weinstein, and dozens of women who have accused men in powerful positions in Hollywood and beyond, including music mogul Russell Simmons. This panel will hear from the #SilenceBreakers, the women who put their names, reputations, and careers on the line to stand up and change the culture. They will share their experiences and the impact speaking out has made on lives and careers.
Masterclass on Writing: Valerie Woods
Join us for an in-depth Masterclass on writing for film and TV with the co-executive producer/writer of Ava DuVernay’s acclaimed drama series “Queen Sugar,” as well as Lifetime’s “Any Day Now” and Showtime’s “Soulfood.” Woods will be joined by writer Ken LaZebnik, founder and former director of the Stephens College Low-Residency MFA in Television and Screenwriting program.
The Present and Future of Women in Animation
Recent research from the Annenberg Inclusion Institute (AII) at USC has shown that the field of animation is one of the few areas in the entertainment industry where women are accelerating. However, the data is more complicated than surface impressions. Women are leading at the top, and many women are working at the entry level, but they are not rising through the ranks. Why is this, and what can be done? In partnership with Women in Animation (WIA), an organization dedicated to advancing women in the field of animation, this panel will feature AII founder and director Dr. Stacy Smith and women who work across all fields of animation to discuss the current field of animation and what we can do to get women through the pipeline of the animation industry. Through this panel, WIA hopes to share their vision of a world where women share equally in the creation, production, and rewards of animation.
Using Film to Make Global Change
We know that film drives culture; it can influence how people think, feel, and perceive the world around them. Global gender justice organizations, including UN Women and Global Fund for Women, are harnessing the power of film to challenge stereotypes and foster public support for feminist action. Join us for an intergenerational and intersectional discussion on how activists are building momentum, making progress, and writing new futures for themselves and their communities — and using film to drive progress.
We will begin by screening the New York premiere of a short film from the upcoming documentary series Fundamental: “Defenders of Justice: Fighting Racism and Patriarchy in Brazil.” The series, created by Global Fund for Women in partnership with two-time Academy Award-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, follows activists from five different countries who are working on the front lines of the global fight for gender justice. The other four films in the series will be available for viewing at the Activism Booth on Saturday and Sunday of the Athena Film Festival.
Women in Space (following the film “Woman in Motion”) – Alfred P. Sloan STEM Showcase
With the first all-women spacewalk in October 2019, and NASA’s goal to land the first woman on the moon by 2024, what was once a dream for many women and girls is now becoming a reality. Numerous films in recent years have also explored the idea of women in space, and through the festival’s partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, we will continue to support the development and distribution of films about women in STEM. Following the screening of “Woman in Motion,” the panel will discuss the history of women in space and the connection between the stories on screen and real-life initiatives.
