The Athena Film Festival Parity Pipeline Program is providing women storytellers with opportunities to hone their craft and make meaningful connections that help them succeed in a difficult industry and advance their projects.
Each year during our festival we host a variety of programs that provide women creatives with skillbuilding and networking opportunities, including panels, workshops, and masterclasses taught by industry professionals. We also curate a Works-In-Progress program for documentaries directed by women to receive feedback and support.
In addition, we run writing labs for emerging women screen and television writers to help participants hone their skills. In tandem with the labs, we host an industry day to expose the writers to the realities of working in film and provide them with advice, strategies, and connections that will help them navigate the industry. Through these programs we are fostering a community of women who support and nurture each other and, collectively, are changing the industry and the stories we see on screen.
Our signature parity program, the Athena List, is an annual script competition that selects exceptional scripts with women leaders at the heart of the story. The Athena List’s goal is to raise the profile of the scripts and the writers within the industry with the purpose of getting these movies made and elevating the writers’ careers to the next level. We are proud of the success achieved by many of our Athena List winners and look forward to continuing this important initiative.
Since our founding more than 10 years ago, our festival has grown beyond a four-day in person event to include these year-round initiatives that are advancing a pipeline of women storytellers and women-centric stories. Together, we will advance a new vision of leadership – with women at the forefront.
