SEPTEMBER NEWS
Dear Cinegirl Community,
As the leaves turn and the air grows crisp, we’re still cherishing the warmth of the summer. It was a joy to reconnect with so many of you at our Summer Party and our recent return from the Manaki Film Festival, where we hosted a delightful Cinegirl soirée. We’re busy preparing for our upcoming issue, filled with exciting content and inspiration. We hope you’re enjoying this season of cosy reads and new beginnings 🍂
Warmest regards,
Francesca R Zerenghi
Editor-in-Chief
THE POWERFUL WOMEN OF MANAKI
The recent panel at Manaki, "The Powerful Women of Manaki," featured Nancy Schreiber, ASC, Teresa Medina, AEC, Oona Menges, BSC, Claire Pijman, NSC, Agnieszka Szeliga, ACO, Biroit Gudjonsdottir, and Alice Brooks, ASC, with Christina Nowak moderating. These exceptional women shared their inspiring stories, discussing the challenges of balancing motherhood and working in a male-dominated industry.
They stressed the importance of perseverance and following one's dreams. Panelists like Brigitte and Oona, who were raised by single mothers, drew deep inspiration from their life paths. The discussion also highlighted the significance of mental health and how these remarkable women manage stress.
Their stories showcased resilience, dedication, and the power of women supporting women in the film industry.
A CONVERSATION WITH GRACE BARBER-PLENTIE ON CURATING FOR BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL AND BFI FLAIR – PENNED BY ORIANA GREGORJ
Q: How do you approach programming for both LFF and BFI Flair, particularly with your focus on queer cinema and the Black diaspora?
Grace: The programming process is largely about managing a lot of logistical tasks—there’s a lot of spreadsheet work! Our festival year starts in January with Sundance, where we see indie and queer cinema, followed Berlin for more experimental, first-time directors, and Cannes for world cinema and auteur-driven projects. Outside of these, we spend hours watching films, hosting discussions, and searching for films that aren’t making big waves yet.
Q: What are some of the challenges you face when selecting films that spotlight underrepresented voices?
Grace: A big part of the challenge is balancing representation with quality and audience appeal. For LFF, we aim to represent global cinema and reflect the diversity of London itself. The city is so multicultural, and we want the festival to reflect that, while also showcasing the best films of the year.
Sometimes, it's also about finding narratives that tie films together in unexpected ways. For example, we have several films from Brazil this year. Instead of feeling like, “Oh, that's too many,” we look at it as an opportunity to explore why Brazilian cinema is thriving right now and what it says about the current state of the film industry.
Q: The BFI festival program this year highlights that 44% of the films are by female and non-binary filmmakers. How do you feel the festival is contributing to greater inclusivity in the broader film industry?
Grace: I hope we’re doing our part. We have an amazing selection committee, and our programming team is entirely women. It’s only natural that we want to champion as many films by women and non-binary directors as possible. One initiative I’m particularly proud of is our Critics Mentorship Scheme, which has made a real impact on the industry. Each year, we mentor a group of people from underrepresented backgrounds, giving them opportunities to write for major publications.
Q: Is there a particular film from this year’s line-up that resonated with you personally or challenged your perspective?
Grace: There are so many! But one that really stuck with me is Witches by Elizabeth Sankey. It’s a deeply personal documentary by filmmaker Elizabeth Sankey, exploring her journey with postnatal depression. What’s fascinating is how she weaves in the history of witches and the portrayal of female hysteria and mental illness.
Q: Finally, what role do you think festivals like LFF and Flair play in shaping global narratives around queer and Black diasporic cinema?
Grace: On a personal level, I hope we can be a launching pad for these filmmakers, especially those from underrepresented communities. I want directors from marginalized backgrounds—whether they’re black, queer, or part of the global majority—to feel like this is a festival that celebrates their work and welcomes their stories. I’ve been with the festival since 2021, and it’s been incredibly fulfilling to see filmmakers return with new projects. There’s something special about nurturing talent and building that relationship over time. We’re creating a space where directors want to premiere their films and know they’ll be supported.
WOMEN OVER FIFTY FILM FESTIVAL BY MUNNAZZAH RAZA
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Women Over Fifty Film Festival (WOFFF) continues to recognise and spotlight women over 50 in front of and behind the camera.
Founder Nuala O’Sullivan was driven to start the festival after she “saw very clearly how few older female filmmakers, writers or producers were represented [in the industry], and how rarely we see older women on screen unless they are playing a very specific stereotypical role.”
The aim of the festival is to screen films that either have a woman over 50 as a main character on screen or that are written, directed or produced by a woman over 50. Nuala hopes that showing the diversity that women over 50 have to offer will remedy the narrative that they are ‘old, fragile and bitter’.
“We strive to break away from the conventional and often limited representations seen in mainstream media, and instead highlight stories that reflect the richness of being a woman over 50,” she adds.
“By doing so, we hope to inspire more inclusive and varied storytelling in the film industry and beyond, challenging ageism and gender biases.”
Staying true to its promise of inclusivity, WOFFF partnered with Virgin Atlantic this year to create a dementia-friendly collection of short films which are being shown on all Virgin Atlantic flights around the world as part of their inflight entertainment.
WOFFF is a hybrid festival that takes place online for one month and in a cinema for one day which includes screenings and talks/lectures with talents from the industry. The festival takes place every year in September.
The 10th Women Over 50 Film Festival is online from 7th September – 7th October, screening 55 short films by or about women over 50.
Follow the website for more information: https://wofff.co.uk/
All photos courtesy of WOFF
CINEGIRL IS A PROUD MEDIA PARTNER FOR THE RISE AWARDS 2024
We are thrilled to announce that Cinegirl is a proud media partner for the Rise Awards 2024!
Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for women in the broadcast media technology sector, is currently accepting nominations for their annual Rise Awards. Taking place at Troxy in London on Tuesday, November 19th, the awards will be streamed live.
Ceremony ticket sales
Now in its sixth year, the highly sought-after Rise Awards will once again celebrate the outstanding talent and contributions of women, men, and companies across the broadcast and media technology industry. With nominations pouring in from around the world, this year’s shortlist includes incredible talent from Malaysia, the United States, Canada, Norway, and Australia.
Discover the Nominees and get your tickets to join us in celebrating the winners on the 19th of November at the glamorous Troxy in London…
RISE ANNOUNCES AWARD SHORTLIST FOR 2024 - IN ITS SIXTH YEAR, THE AWARDS RECEIVED APPLICATIONS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD
London, UK, 18 September 2024 - Rise, the gender diversity network for the media technology industry, today announced the shortlist for the Rise Awards, which will take place on Tuesday November 19th. Now in its sixth year the highly sought after awards, in partnership with Sky and EMG/Gravity Media, will celebrate a talented group of women, men and companies, at the event at Troxy, London. The shortlist includes women from Malaysia, United States, Canada, Norway and Australia.
The winner of the Woman of The Year Award, decided by the Rise Advisory Boards, will be announced at a later date. As in past years a Special Recognition Award will be announced on the evening and given to a woman who has surpassed expectations or their commitment to the industry we work in.
The shortlist for the 2024 Rise Awards is as follows:
Technical Operations, sponsored by Vizrt
April Ha - Encompass Digital Media
Gina Mcclifty - Double Take Sports
Julie Mulvihill - Ross Video
Kala Tully - Picture Shop
Kate Dickerson - EMG Connectivity
Megan Andrews - BBC
Weronika Kolodziej - Deluxe
Product Innovation, sponsored by Clear-com
Anita Westman - Evertz
Kristie Fung - TMT Insights
Melissa Davanzo - Paramount Global
Payal Gilda - Magnifi
Tanya Daley-Antoine - Endeavor Streaming
Business Operations
Kahleah Webb - EMG/Gravity Media
Marsha Garner - Evertz
Thamizh Selvi - Synamedia
Victoria Tuzova - Elecard
Student, sponsored by SMPTE
Amy Woods
Emma Schug
Irene Muñoz López
Sigrid Svae
Tia Shenton
Marketing
Carlie Bonavia & Gisele Santos - Moments Lab
Clare Butler - Grabyo
Jesse Humphrey - Diversified
Leanne Tomlin - Perifery
R&D Engineer, sponsored by Red Bee Media
Amy Rajaonson - France Télévisions
Avigail Camon - LiveU
Dagmar Driesnack - Rohde & Schwartz
Karen Troiano - Agile Content
Advocate
Andy Shenkler - TMT Insights
Ben Wickham - Sky
Keith Frost - Arqiva
Scott Kerr - Sky
Thomas Pearson - Bitmovin
Mark Wynter - Picture Shop
Influencer, sponsored by Disguise
Jenny Priestley - TVB Europe
Lucy Trang Nguyen - Accedo
Nakiesha Koss - Adobe
Natasha Jones - BT Media & Broadcast
Project Management Or Delivery, sponsored by Iron Mountain Media & Archive Services
Bobby Warner - BT Media & Broadcast
Gaylen Clutter - Evertz
Kate Mackenzie-Doyle - Arqiva
Rhona Keegan - EMG/Gravity Media
Roisi Proven - Ad Signal
Sarah Donoghue - Sky
Sales, sponsored by Perifery
Misaki Nagaya - CNNI
Paloma Santucci - Accedo
Yvonne Picken - BT Media & Broadcast
Radhika Vora - Prime Focus Technologies
Production Support Engineer, sponsored by Riedel
Brittany MacRae - dock10
Jen Patterson - EMG/Gravity Media
Lucy Moore - Hotcam
Najua Ojeil - LiveU
Selina Walton - NEP Australia
Rising Star, sponsored by Harmonic
Charlotte Mills - Hotcam
Louise Jones - Warner Bros Discovery
Rebecca Jackson - Caretta Research
Siri Berntsen - Irdeto
Zoe Zropf - Double Take Sports
Business Leader
Dara Urquhart - Red Bee Media
Terri Davies - Trusted Partner Network
Mardhiah Nasir - IPSB Technology
Company Award for Investment in Women, sponsored by Ross Video
TMT Insights
Mainstreaming
80six
BT Media & Broadcast
FESTIVALS ROUND-UP
07 September - 07 October 2024: Women Over 50 Film Festival
09 - 19 September 2024: Toronto International Film Festival
20 - 22 September 2024: Women X Film Festival
08 - 12 October 2024: Scottish Queer International Film Festival
09 - 20 October 2024: BFI London Film Festival
10 - 13 October 2024: City of Angels Women’s Film Festival
05 - 07 November - 09:30 - 21:00: CVP Educational Festival
01 - 17 November 2024: Leeds International Film Festival
16 - 23 November 2024: EnergaCAMERIMAGE 2024
18 - 28 January 2025: Sundance Film Festival (USA)
13 - 23 February 2025: Berlin International Film Festival (Germany)
14 - 24 May 2025: Cannes Film Festival (France)