The history of women's film festivals begins in the early 1970s during the
second wave of feminism. The rest of the 1970s saw the organization of numerous women's film festivals around the world. These included: The Women's Event at the
Edinburgh International Film Festival (1972); The Women & Film Festival in Toronto (1973); The International Women's Film Conference in Berlin (1973); and Musidora in Paris (1974). Between 2008 and 2022, 8.9% of film award nominations have gone to female directors. The women that are portrayed in the film industry have to fit a mold set by male writers and directors. Studies have shown that when
women in films differentiate from this mold - for instance, a female character that is ambitious or focused on their career - they are portrayed and perceived negatively. Women have played a significant role in the development of the art of film throughout history, but often have not been credited. Film through a feminist lens grew in popularity throughout the 1970s and 80s, and women began to amass more power in filmmaking around this time. The
gender gap in film, however, continues to be a prevalent issue. In fact, the number of women working on
top-grossing films increased by only 1% from 1998 to 2022. Additionally, countries that have gender imbalance in their film industries include Germany, Austria, Poland, Ireland, Portugal, Finland, Iceland, Italy, United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Female film festivals were created to provide a space for
female directors and
screenwriters to show their work in a historically
male dominated industry. Popular films are mostly written by men and female characters are inaccurately depicted.
Independent film and film festivals are composed of significantly more female directors and writers than commercial film. Female film festivals not only seek to showcase women's work in film, but they also aim to show movies with
feminist themes that are often lacking from other cinema. == Awards ==