The Athena Film Festival—which kicks off today in New York City—isn’t the first to focus on women, but it’s one of the few that can boast a line-up that includes Julie Taymor, Diablo Cody, Liz Meriwether, and even My So-Called Life creator Winnie Holzman. Now in its second year, the four-day festival is the brainchild of Melissa Silverstein, founder of the blog Women & Hollywood, and Kathryn Kolbert, the director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College (which is hosting the screenings, workshops, discussions, and award presentations).

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