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FEMALE EYE FILM FESTIVAL “Always Honest, Not Always Pretty” 

Celebrating 19 years  

The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) founded by Canadian filmmaker Leslie Ann Coles, celebrates its 19th year March 8–28, 2021.  Films from Canada and around the world will be screened on Encore+ and on Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox. 

The Female Eye Film Festival is an international competitive women’s film festival providing an exclusive showcase for Canadian and international independent filmmakers. FeFF pays tribute to the best and most creative the film and television industry has to offer, bridging the gap between the written, visual, and media arts.  MovieMaker magazine voted FeFF one of the World’s Top Fifty Film Festivals for the ninth consecutive year in 2021. 

FeFF has reinvented itself for 2021, meeting the challenge of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown that has taken on so many in the cultural sectors. This year FeFF will present a strong slate of female directed films, digitally, while unpacking a powerful series of industry initiatives virtually, and free to the public, you won’t want to miss.  

The Female Eye Film Festival will present a stellar selection of films from across North America with foreign films from Hungary, Taiwan, Japan, Costa Rica, Germany, United Kingdom, Iran, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Russia on digital TIFF Bell Lightbox, March 26 to 28.    

FeFF 2021 will commence, March 8th, on International Women’s Day (IWD) with a special FeFF Best in The Biz Tribute and Maverick Award to be presented to filmmaker, PATRICIA ROZEMA, in partnership with and streamed via the Encore+ YouTube channel. The FeFF Maverick Award celebrates innovation, creativity and perseverance in the film and television industry. Patricia Rozema is an award- winning filmmaker who has blazed a unique and enduring trail in the industry, both nationally and internationally. 

“Encore+ is proud to support the Female Eye Film Festival. Encore+ hosts dozens of iconic Canadian films directed by women and will this year serve as a digital showcase for works selected for the 2021 edition of the FeFF,” says Valerie Creighton, President and CEO of the Canada Media Fund.  “I am delighted that this year’s Honorary Maverick Award will be bestowed upon internationally acclaimed director Patricia Rozema via Encore+, followed by a screening of “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Best First Feature Award and ranked one of 150 essential works in Canadian cinema history by the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016.” 

Telefilm Canada is a proud supporter of FeFF’s Canadian features program and there are several on Encore+ throughout the month of March: “Rustic Oracle” written and directed by Sonia Bonspille Boileau which won the 2020 Leo Award for Best Picture and Best Lead Actress; "Queen of the Andres" written and directed by Jillian Acreman; “The Curse of Willow Song,” directed by Karen Lam which received 10 nominations at the 2020 Leo Awards, taking home Best Direction and Best Cinematography; the Borsos Prize-winning “Little Orphans,” directed by Ruth Lawrence; and documentaries, “Sisters: Dream & Variations,” directed by Montreal filmmaker Catherine Legault and "Five Bucks at the Door: The Story of Crocks N Rolls” directed by Kirsten Kosloski. Foreign features include Opening Gala Feature, “Pooling to Paradise” by FeFF award-winning filmmaker Roxy Shih; and the documentary “The Invisible Father” directed by the daughter of Beat poet and experimental filmmaker Piero Heliczer; along with outstanding short films. 

Premiering at Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox includes feature films “Cream,” a delightful debut comedy by Hungarian director Nora Lakos; the award winning “Small Time” directed by Niav Conty: and two breakout features, Taiwanese director/screenwriter Mian-Mian Lu’s “Mickey on the Road” and Japanese director Yoshino Takemoto’s “Left of Chopin.” Documentaries include “Six Angry Women,” directed by Megan Jones (USA), a bizarre true story of six women who carried out one of the most audacious feminist direct actions in American history; “Determined,” directed by Melissa Godoy, which follows three women at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease who offer their brains and bodies to a medical study (USA). Powerful Shorts screened on Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox will celebrate filmmakers from across North America and around the world. 

Other Highlights: 

FeFF 2021 premieres “ONE(NINE),” executive produced by FeFF Honorary Director Ingrid Veninger – nine chapters directed by nine notable Canadian filmmakers, among them Mina Shum and Jennifer Podemski, which links to COVID-19 – is making its world premiere at the festival. Also, Eastern Winds, co-curated and presented in partnership with St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival features a selection of four stellar short films from our eastern directors by Jordan Canning, Kerry Gamberg, Jamie Miller and Andrea Cass.  

FeFF’s Industry Initiatives program supported by Ontario Creates will be strong as ever with Industry Panels, Good to Go pitch session, Director’s Round Table, and the Second Round of a public roundtable discussion with femme centric film industry organizations that follows up on a conversation held at the 2020 St John’s International Women’s Film Festival and more... 

Our Partners & Sponsors  

TIFF is Canada’s premiere home of cinema a charitable cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film. TIFF offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, events, professional development and opportunities to meet, hear, and learn from filmmakers from Canada and around the world.   TIFF is committed to treating all individuals with respect, dignity, and fairness by removing physical, social, and economic barriers to participation. We ensure that all who wish to enjoy TIFF’s programming can do so.  

Encore+ was launched in 2017 by the Canada Media Fund and industry partners. Encore+ invites YouTube audiences wherever they are in the world, to discover – or rediscover – iconic Canadian movies and TV shows. Comedies, dramas, children’s shows, documentaries, short films, and feature films – it’s all on Encore+ for fans of all ages to enjoy.  Encore+ showcases acclaimed Canadian films, documentaries, and television shows in English and French and by Indigenous creators. In August 2020, Encore+ was awarded a YouTube Silver Creator Award for achieving a 100,000 subscribers’ milestone. 

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) was created in partnership with Google Canada and Canada’s film and television producers, distributors, broadcasters, unions, guilds, and other industry associations. The CMF fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voice, and promoting access to content through public- and private-sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors. Please visit cmf-fmc.ca.  

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) was created in partnership with Google Canada and Canada’s film and television producers, distributors, broadcasters, unions, guilds, and other industry associations. The CMF fosters, develops, finances, and promotes the production of Canadian content and applications for all audiovisual media platforms. The CMF guides Canadian content towards a competitive global environment by fostering industry innovation, rewarding success, enabling a diversity of voice, and promoting access to content through public- and private-sector partnerships. The CMF receives financial contributions from the Government of Canada and Canada’s cable, satellite, and IPTV distributors. Please visit cmf-fmc.ca.  

The Female Eye Film Festival Thanks Telefilm Canada, Ontario Creates, Encore+, WIDC, and St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival for their support of FeFF2021.

Encore+ screenings are FREE to view on any screen worldwide: March 8–28.  

www.encoreplusmedia.ca

TIFF tickets are available at digitalTIF.net March 26–28.        

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