The Women’s Museum of California will present the 2018 Women’s International Film Festival San Diego, April 13-15. This annual film festival was created to celebrate women’s stories and experiences through film. The weekend-long festival at The Lot in Liberty Station highlights the importance of female representation in the film industry, including women both in front of and behind the camera.
Between 2007 and 2017 Women only represented 4 percent of the top-grossing films directors, The Women’s Film Festival San Diego strives to close the gender gap in filmmaking by showcasing women directed films from around the world. “It is important to support women filmmakers in order to see changes in storytelling happen. When women are involved in the creative production of a project we are no longer telling a story from the same perspective,” said Diane Peabody Straw, executive director of the Women’s Museum of California.
The festival has added two new programs to the weekend this year. The first is a student film competition that will give female students a platform to share their stories and motivation to keep pursuing their dream career in film. The second is a Filmmaker Breakfast, the breakfast is an opportunity to meet women filmmakers from around the world and share ideas, resources, and experiences with women working in the industry.
The festival will showcase feature length and short films that cover themes of family, LGBT, technology, body positivity, and sexual assault. Festival schedule Friday, April 13
6 p.m. – VIP Red Carpet Opening;
7 p.m. – Friday Evening Short Film: “All of Me”; 7:15 p.m. – Friday evening feature. Saturday, April 14 9 a.m. – Filmmaker Breakfast;
10 a.m. – Saturday Short Film Block: “Follow Me,” “Lines,” “Lauren Higbie,” “Kinesthesia,” and “Nose Job”;
2 p.m. – Women in Film industry panel featuring Deborah Pratt, Angelique Fawcette, Valentina Castellani, and Tracey E. Bergman;
7 p.m. – Saturday evening feature: “Badass Beauty Queen: The Story of Anastasia Lin.” Sunday, April 15 10 a.m. – Sunday Student Film Block;
11:30 a.m. – Sunday Student Award Ceremony. Festival passes may be purchased at www.womensfilmfestivasandiego.com. The Women’s Museum of California is one of 3 brick and mortar museums in the country that focuses on women’s history Founded in 1983, the museum’s mission is to educate and inspire future generations about the experiences and contributions of women have made throughout history.