Submissions for the 2019 festival are now closed.
What We Look For
- Stories of fierce and fearless women leaders from all walks of life – stories of ambition, courage, and resilience.
- Screenplays must include the woman character at the center of the story
- Screenplays should not objectify or stereotype women
- Screenplays can be written by a person(s) of any gender
- Screenplays written by women must still focus on women’s leadership
- Screenplays must be for a feature-length film, 80 to 130 pages. (NO SHORTS ACCEPTED)
Important: The screenplay needs to be complete and ready for production. Your screenplay should also have gone through some type of workshop or lab. Do not submit a first draft. The submission period will close on August 15, 2018.
Entry is free
Our submission process is two-tiered. We will first review the synopsis of your script. If your script fits our criteria we will notify you.
What is the Athena List?
“The Black List— a yearly list of great scripts that are circulating in Hollywood but have not yet become movies — has a new gender-conscious cousin.” ~ Lily Rothman, Time.Com
In 2015, only 33% of all speaking characters in the top 100 grossing films were women, and only 22% were the protagonist of the story. The lack of female-led films is striking — so much so that actress Cate Blanchett used her 2014 Oscar speech to rebuke those “in the industry who are still foolishly clinging to the idea that female films with women at the center are niche experiences.” As Blanchett said, there is a market for female-centric films, and there’s sample evidence that proves these films are profitable.
In an attempt to remedy the dearth of female characters and misconceptions about female-led films, the Athena Film Festival has created the Athena List, an annual slate of between 3-5 screenplays with female leaders or strong female protagonists that have yet to be made into films.
