Editor

Returning LIVE, the Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF), founded by Canadian trailblazer Leslie Ann Coles, celebrated its 20th Anniversary June 9 to 12, 2022, at TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

FeFF was way ahead of its time at its founding, and the festival's tagline, "Always Honest, Not Always Pretty," says it all. It's an eclectic program of features, documentaries, shorts, and the highly anticipated Late-Night Thrills and Chills – an international program of horror, suspense, and thrillers directed by women – on Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11, at 10PM. 

Voted one of the "Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" by Movie Maker Magazine for a 10th consecutive year (2013–2022), FeFF is a competitive international women's film festival that provides an exclusive showcase for Canadian and foreign women and gender-diverse directors. 

FeFF has tackled gender equality and inclusion since its inception. The Indigenous Filmmaker Series launched in 2008 with Indigenous Canadian filmmaker Jules Koostachin at the helm. In 2009, FeFF produced the inaugural Young Filmmaker Development Workshop, a mentorship for debut female filmmakers. To date, FeFF has produced 46 short debut films, 26 by Indigenous filmmakers, and all had their premieres at Female Eye. FeFF continues to provide a dedicated showcase for local directors with the Toronto Filmmaker Series, which held its inaugural event in 2001. The Script Development Program, open to both men and women, celebrates its 15th edition in 2022.  

The BEST IN THE BIZ TRIBUTE celebrates 2022Honorary Director Valerie Buhagiar on Saturday, June 11, at 1PM. In Buhagiar's latest feature, "Carmen," based on true events, 50-year-old Carmen finds her voice and her true calling and liberates villagers in a small Maltese town. (Supported by Telefilm Canada's Promotion Program.)  

Other notable Canadian features, supported by Telefilm Canada, include "We're All in This Together," a clever adaptation of the novel by Amy Jones written by, directed by, and starring Katie Boland in her debut directorial feature film; "The Kissing Game," a passionate urban fantasy and solo performance that explores love, betrayal, friendship, and identity directed by newcomer Montreal filmmaker Véa; "Be Still," by Elizabeth Lazebnik, an homage to Canadian photographer Hannah Maynard, who was 40 years ahead of the Surrealist movement. FeFF also celebrates Toronto media artist Edie Steiner with a film retrospective and artist talk. 

Foreign film highlights include the Closing Night feature, "Romantic Guide to Lost Places," by Golden Globe award winning filmmaker, Giorgia Farina.  Starring Clive Owen and "Moonlight Shadow Wall," directed by Shiman Ma, which tells the story of three families who reside at the foot of the ancient city of Xi'an who embrace cultural traditions while trying to embrace a new era (China);  And, foreign documentaries "Mama Irene: Healer of the Andes," directed by Elisabeth Möhlmann and Bettina Ehrhardt, a documentary that features a remarkable 84-year-old shaman from Peru who draws upon endangered Indigenous knowledge and traditions (Peru); "Independent Miss Craigie," directed by Lizzie Thynne, which captures the extraordinary life story of Jill Craigie, one of the first women to direct documentaries in the United Kingdom, whose work has long been neglected (UK); and "Forbidden Womanhood," directed by Maryam Zahirirmehr, a poetic and symbolic portrayal of betrayal and loss in which 12-year-old Mahi's mother refuses to tell her how a woman gets pregnant (Iran). 

This year's INDUSTRY INITIATIVES, supported by Ontario Creates and ACTRA Fraternal Benefits (AFBS), feature industry panel discussions, script readings, the 10th Annual Live Pitch, the Directors' Roundtable, and a panel dedicated to women in virtual production who hold positions of creative control in this quickly evolving pipeline. This panel will showcase excerpts from their work and explore the topics of democratized storytelling, female authorship, and creative empowerment. The filmmakers will use process videos to demonstrate aspects of the VP workflow as it pertains to pre-visualization, production, and creative collaboration.  

Special thanks to our sponsors: Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS), Cinespace Film Studios, ACTRA National, and Women In the Director's Chair and Encore+.