FF2 Intern Katusha Jin reports on her time at the 7th annual Athena Film Festival, hosted by Barnard College in Manhattan from 2/9/17 thru 2/12/17. AFF’18 dates are 2/22/18 thru 2/25/18. We hope to see YOU there next year 🙂
In the eighty-eight years since the first Academy Awards, there have only been four women nominated for the category of Best Director, and as a result, only one has won the award (Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker). Statistics such as these were projected onto the screen before each movie that was played. The Festival acted as an awakening for some, and a strong reminder for others, of how underrated female filmmakers truly are.
My Best of Fest
That said, there is nothing like walking into an auditorium filled with an eagerly awaiting audience. A personal favorite moment of the AFF ’17 was walking into Strange Weather — directed and written by Katherine Dieckmann — and seeing the large screening room close to bursting.
Strange Weather and A Good Wife, (the other film I saw at AFF ’17) we both about women fighting battles of their own, but the experience of watching them differed greatly. One was about accepting death, whereas the other was about accepting life. Viewing one after the other was definitely a time for reflection on my part!
Athena Film Festival showcases the talents of women who need a larger audience to receive their works. I think this is where we, as the audience, need to play a more active role. By watching more movies by female filmmakers, we encourage their works to be seen by a larger number of people, and the Athena Film Festival reminds us that only by having works seen can they be discussed, valued, and appreciated.
© Katusha Jin (2/17/17) FF2 Media
Top Photo: A still from the film A Good Wife, where Milena clings to her husband, not knowing how to share her worries with him.
Photo Credits: Mikaela Lungulov
Bottom Photo: A still from Strange Weather of Darcy during her road trip.
Photo Credits: Great Point Media
