Submissions for the 2019 festival are closed. Submissions for the 2020 Athena Festival will open in June 2019.
The Athena Film Festival at Barnard College is a weekend of inspiring films that tell the extraordinary stories of fierce and fearless women leaders from all walks of life – stories of ambition, courage, and resilience. The curated program includes Academy Award-nominated films, top-tier features, documentaries, and shorts — including U.S. and world premieres. It is a weekend that celebrates the stories of remarkable women — stories that need to be told and deserve to be honored.
The festival is a project of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard and Women and Hollywood, a leading voice for women in the entertainment industry. The Artemis Rising Foundation and its CEO Regina K. Scully is the festival’s founding sponsor. The ninth annual Athena Film Festival will be held Feb. 28- March 3, 2019. The submission period will close on August 15, 2018.
What We Look For:
Short films that are under 40 minutes in length that:
- Reveal the diverse narratives of women leaders from all walks of life—narratives of ambition, courage, and resilience
- Showcase women leaders who currently are making or have made a difference in the world — captivating stories of truth, determination, innovation, and vision.
- Highlight the talents of new and recognized artists — capturing their take on what truly makes exemplary women leaders.
Keep In Mind:
- All films must feature a female in a leadership position at the center of the story.
- Films may be directed by a person or people of any gender.
- Films that are directed by women but do not focus on female leadership will not be considered.
Entry is free
All synopses are reviewed by our programming team. If your film does not fit our criteria it will not be considered.
If you have a feature-length film that you would like to submit to the festival, please email Athenafilmfestival@gmail.com with the title of your film, full synopses, and how it fits our criteria.
