The Grand Prize-Winning Film ‘Colliding Forces‘ Wins A Los Angeles Screening and Q&A
Filmmakers from the United Kingdom, Israel, USA, New Zealand, Dagestan, and Ireland have won awards at The 2024 Women’s Voices Now Film Festival. The ceremony was a moving event with some filmmakers being recognized for their incredible work for the first time. The grand prize-winning film, Colliding Forces, truly exemplified the theme of the festival. Click here to check out the trailer!
The Women’s Voices Now Film Festival is a women’s rights documentary film festival that celebrates women filmmakers who are creating films that advocate for girls’ and women’s rights. The online film festival promotes emerging women in film who believe in the power of filmmaking to promote gender equality globally. Through the online film festival, Women’s Voices Now supports women filmmakers around the world.
Women Making Waves Awardee, Bahraini Journalist Ahdeya Al Sayed, gave chilling and moving comments about the times we’re living in and the absolute necessity for everyone to come together against the extremism and radicalism that is spreading all over the world. Her award got extensive press coverage in Saudi, Egyptian, Bahraini, and Iranian news outlets. Al Sayed’s remarks are available to watch on YouTube.
And the Winners Are…
Colliding Forces – Mothers in Ballet (United Kingdom)
A film by Eliza Schroeder
Leslie J. Sacks Best Documentary Feature
Women of Valor (Israel)
A film by Anna Somershaf
Lantos Foundation Best Human Rights Documentary
1001cuts (USA)
A film by Sarah M Temkin
Best Documentary Short
Abortion and Women’s Rights 1970 (USA)
A film by Catha Maslow, Jane Pincus, Mary Summers & Karen Weinstein
Best Creative Short Documentary
Finding Venus (New Zealand)
A film by Mandi Lynn
Best Emerging Short Documentary Filmmaker
Resisterhood (USA)
A film by Cheryl Jacobs Crim
Best Emerging Feature Documentary Filmmaker
When I Escaped (United Kingdom/Dagestan)
A film by Zlata Onufrieva
Best Creative Documentary
Baby Blues (Ireland)
A film by Sophie Lynch and Alannah McQuaid
Best Youth Documentary
Honorable Mentions…
Testimony of Ana (India)
A film by Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda
Honorable Mention
Someone You Know (USA)
A film by Asha Dahya
Honorable Mention
Black Mambas (Germany)
A film by Lena Karbe
Honorable Mention
Another Body (United States)
by Sophie Compton & Reuben Hamlyn
Honorable Mention
Founded in 2010, Women’s Voices Now (WVN) uses film to drive positive social change that advances girl’s and women’s rights globally. WVN strives to empower filmmakers, produce social-change films, and engage audience members to advocate for girls’ and women’s rights through its three core programs: a film festival supporting emerging documentary filmmakers, a filmmaking youth development program, and a free online collection of films advocating for women’s rights.
With support from the Golden Globe Foundation, the Women’s Voices Now program Girls’ Voices Now (GVN) seeks to empower girls from under-resourced communities of Los Angeles County to find, develop, and use their voice for positive social change through filmmaking. GVN is working to advance gender and racial equity in the local film industry. GVN alumnae Erika Martinez (2018 cohort) premiered her student film project from California State University Northridge at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to an audience of 700 people on May 7, 2024.