As New York City opens it's doors for Broadway, for filming and more, film festivals are also getting back to business and bustling with creativity. This year the Imagine This Women's International Film Festival is back with a slate of excellent films covering many different subjects. The 2021 Women's International Film Festival (ITWIFF) will be presented from Sept. 24 through Oct. 3, 2021, in New York. The womxn's film festival aims to amplify and empower independent and aspiring womxn filmmakers from around the world. The sixth annual film festival is being presented digitally with screenings, panels, and events from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3, 2021.
Imagine This Productions will host 163 films and 17 screenplays as finalists for the 2021 According to the press release, organizers received 700 Films from Womxn Filmmakers In 41 Countries — a Double-digit Increase over Submissions in 2019 and 2020 — Fueled by Pent-Up Demand during the Pandemic Lockdown.
“This year’s submissions explore the enormity of social inequity and unrest; the yearning for love and acceptance; the grief of loss and reckoning; and the aftermath of explosive events shaping womxn’s lives." said Festival Director Patrice Francois. “We see these filmmakers juxtapose contemporary complexities against familial pressure to honor traditional practices and societal constraints based on institutionalized privilege.”
ITWIFF accepted films from womxn filmmakers and storytellers in leadership positions. Organizers founded the ITWIFF platform in 2016 to support womxn by sharing their work with the public, promoting equal opportunities for BIPOC womxn and the LGBTQIA+ community while providing educational and professional development, and serving as a resource information network.
“We congratulate this year’s finalists, who not only dug deep into their storytelling reserves to ensure a variety of lived experiences are memorialized but overcame obstacles presented by the COVID-19 lockdown,” said Development & Diversity Manager Susie Francois. “This slate can serve as a time capsule for this decade.”
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Interview with Festival Founder Patrice Francois:
https://www.suzeebehindthescenes.com/search?q=imagine+this
The roster of ITWIFF finalists includes submissions in animation, documentaries, short films, feature films and screenplays. A slate of 20 screeners deliberated over 700 entries to shortlist 174 finalists from 32 countries.
The following is a selection of finalists featuring notable filmmakers and actors but please visit the website for updates and additions:
CATEGORY: Animation, Documentary, Short
“How to Lose Everything: A Field Guide” by directors Christa Couture and Bekky
O'Neil (Canada)
“Tumbling Towards Home” by director Imelda O'Reilly (Ireland)
CATEGORY: Documentary
“The 8th” by directors Aideen Kane, Lucy Kennedy, and Maeve O'Boyle (Ireland)
“An Ordinary Life” by directors Gili Danon and Efrat Shalom Danon (Israel)
“New Light - the Rijksmuseum and Slavery” by director Ida Does (The
Netherlands)
CATEGORY: Documentary Feature
“The Renegades: A Long Way Home” by directors Lisa Maria Hagen and Mariam Noori
(German)
“The Game Is Up: Disillusioned Trump Voters Tell Their Stories” by director
Melissa Jo Peltier (United States)
CATEGORY: Documentary Short
“RESIST: The Resistance Revival Chorus” by director Susan O’Brien (United
States)
“Giselle's Story” by director Susan O’Brien (United States)
“Taft” by director Ann Walker-King (United States)
CATEGORY: Feature
“8:37 Rebirth” by director Juanita Peters (Canada)
“Body of Water” by director Lucy Brydon (United Kingdom)
“Sundays in July” by director Joseph E. Austin II (United States)
CATEGORY: Screenplay
“Queen of Newburgh” by director Lisa Cole (United States)
CATEGORY: Shorts
“Gud” by director Alana Spencer (Australia)
“The Door” by director Anik Jean (Canada)
“The Death Doula” by directors Amanda Parris and Lucius Dechausay and featuring
key cast Andy McQueen, Bahia Watson, Jennifer Podemski (Canada)
“Dad and the Fridge Box” by director Mary Walsh (Canada)
“Sheer Qorma” by director Faraz Arif Ansari and featuring key cast Shabana
Azmi, Divya Dutta, Swara Bhasker, Kalyanee Mulay, Priya Malik, Jitin Gulati
(India)
“Losing Grace” by director Athena Mandis and featuring key cast Liz Farahadi,
Tabatha Howard, Grant Burgin (United Kingdom)
“Take My Heart” by director Anna Simone Scottand featuring key cast Joy Sunday,
Kim Estes, Roy Williams Jr. (United States)
“Wichita” by director Sergine Dumais (United States)
“Pink & Blue” by director Carmen LoBue (United States)
“In Hollywoodland” by director Jessica Sherif and featuring key cast Yetide
Badaki, Karen David, Dominic Burgess, Jen Richards, Luke Youngblood (United
States)
“Once Beautiful Woman” by director Frankie Guerrero, Jr. (United States)
“Aimee Victoria” by director Chrystee Pharris (United States)
“I Am Normal” by director Olia Oparina and featuring key cast Nora-Jane Noone,
Saul Rubinek, Susan Moore Harmon, Anya Bay (United States)
“A Period Piece” by director Shuchi Talati (United States)
“Wasted Seed” by director Nino Mancuso and featuring key cast Helen Kennedy
Turner, Bambadjan Bamba, Kim Estes (United States)
“Abby and Emily Go To Palm Springs” by director Hellin Kay (United States)
“Girls Night In” by director Alison Roberto (United States)
“Sorry” by anonymous and featuring key cast Halima Henderson, Michael
Stahl-David (United States)
“Klutz” by director Michelle Bossy and featuring key cast Wai Ching Ho, Geneva
Carr, Sanjit De Silva, Geoffrey Owens, Mara Kassin, Angel Desai, Florencia
Lazano, Malka Wallick (United States)
“La Ciguapa Siempre” by director Monica Suriyage (United States)
A synopsis of each finalist plus cast information is available at https://itwiff.sparqfest.live.
The sixth annual film festival is being presented digitally with screenings, panels, and events from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3, 2021. Tickets are available online at imaginethisprods.com.
About Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival
Imagine This Productions is dedicated to providing womxn storytellers and
filmmakers a platform to encourage and develop creative projects by womxn. With
Imagine This Women's International Film Festival and Girl Power Film + Media
Summit, Imagine This aims to amplify and empower independent and aspiring womxn
filmmakers from around the world. Imagine The goal is to support womxn by
sharing their work with the public, promoting equal opportunities for BIPOC
womxn and the LGBTQIA+ community while providing educational support and
professional development, and serving as a resource information network. Learn
more at imaginethisprods.com.