BIFA Accredited film festival Women X is back for 2024
End your summer at the festival who gives you films AND fun
The 5th edition will return to Darlington Hippodrome in September 2024, to submit your film you can do this by our partners Filmfreeway, where you can read all our entry criteria and guidelines, we accept submissions no other way!
Click here to visit our film freeway page!
Script Competition information is over on this page!
Submission FAQs
Can I submit more than one film?
You can submit as many films as you like! We have programmed filmmakers with multiple films in previous years, so it is not something we regard as a negative during the selection process, we judge on the films individually, not on the filmmakers.
Do you grant waiver codes for free submission?
We understand the financial strain of festival submissions, but our way to support with that is to keep our submission fees lower than our peers and offer a fair and equal opportunity for all filmmakers. Due to the cost of running of festival, we simply can not offer our high quality submission process and programming for free.
We will not respond to emails requesting waivers and we have a zero tolerance policy on rude and threatening emails regarding waivers - yep we’ve had them before!
Should I re-submit a film that wasn’t selected last year?
You can re-submit a film, but we wouldn’t advise you to. There are many other festivals out there, and would recommend you use your budget to explore alternative options to further your festival campaign.
Do you provide travel and accommodation for filmmakers selected?
Unfortunately we simply can’t afford to! We are a volunteer run festival with limited support with funding, however we strive to do the best we can for our filmmakers.
Our notification date is two months prior to our festival so filmmakers can plan their journeys and snap up cheaper travel tickets and accommodation, we also have chosen a venue just a minute away from a mainline train station and many hotels. We have had hotel partnerships in the past to support with costs, and strive to do the same this year.
You’re a BIFA accredited festival, what does that mean?
BIFA accreditation means that our festival has been reviewed by the British Independent Film Awards and has met a set of standards that they set where we demonstrate a strong list of attributes.
These attributes include a rigorous and fair programming and awards process, clear assessment criteria communicated to all of our team, a proactive approach to training our team on areas such as unconscious bias, and clear and evidence interest in promoting diversity, accessible entry fees, additional filmmaker benefits and a demonstrable level of quality in the films that we programme and award.
Basically, we work very hard on what we do. It also means that all films that we programme can be considered for BIFA awards - pretty cool perk for you right?
Why do you not accept films over 20 minutes?
Our festival is currently only three days long, so we are unable to programme as many films as we would like. So we have to be strict on screening times until we are in a position to have longer screenings available. It may seem silly to be so strict over a matter of seconds or a minute, but we have to rigorously programme for the slots that we have.
Are men allowed to submit to the festival?
Yes of course. Men are always welcome to submit to Women X, as long as their films follow our selection criteria of having a woman or gender non confirming filmmaker in one of the three senior roles (Director/Writer/Producer)
Will I receive feedback if my film isn’t selected?
We receive over 500 films a year, are volunteer run and offer lower submission fees, therefore we are unable to provide feedback for any submissions, this is industry standard across all film festivals. It’s something we may explore in the future when we aren’t 100% volunteer run and have more funding behind us to accommodate.
Do you accept feature film submissions?
Not yet….we’re working on it though…..
Our Film Programme showcases the most exciting work coming from independent filmmakers, our criteria for Women X inspires inclusion and equality. With one of the three leading creative roles (director, writer, producer) on a short film being led by a woman or gender non conforming filmmaker.
The stories we screen are not just about the hardships and challenges that women face, we welcome every genre and filmmaking style through our selection process, excited each year to see what themes and storytelling techniques the independent industry have delved into.
We’ve showed laugh out loud comedies, hard hitting documentaries, dramas that will stay with you and experimental films that will open your eyes and hearts. Our rich blend of British and International stories provides our audiences with a rich experience of carefully curated stories.
Film programme
2023 AWARD WINNERS
Best Film: Candy
Best Documentary: Pricks
Best Northern Film: Drowning
Best Student Film: Objects of Desire
Best Director: Anastasia Bruce-Jones (All Girls)
Best Writer: Mo Bayliss and Steph Leigh (A Television Broadcast From Outer Space)
Best Producer: Molly Young (Barricade)
Best Lead Performance: Sarah Grant (Candy)
Best Ensemble Performance: Blind Spot
Best Cinematography: Salt Wounds
Best Editing: The Witching
Best Production Design: What Would Julie Do?
Best Sound: Blind Spot
Rising Star: Natalia Fox (Eggs)
Script Competition – 1st Place: Grace Cassidy (White Gold / Aur Gwyn)
Script Competition – 2nd Place: Zoe Bullock (Applicant)
Script Competition – 3rd Place: Lucy Chappell (Termagant)
We’re more than just watching back to back films in a dark room.
*And no, it’s not because sometimes we forget to turn the lights off.
Our film festival is not only about showcasing amazing films, a big part of our ethos is that every attendees leaves with a purpose, whether that be through actionable advice they’ve recieved from through one of our industry sessions or an exciting connection that they’ve made through networking.
Film festivals should be more about just filmmakers getting together and patting each other on the back on the success of their own films, they should be a space for audiences to explore and discover new and exciting films, and for those interested in the world of film to be able to dive in deeper to that interest in a safe and inclusive space. With the festival being created by filmmakers and festival professionals, we were able to build an atmosphere of all the things we enjoyed and remove all the things we did not…
Hosting engaging and insightful industry sessions, which are open to all attendees not just industry, has allowed exciting conversations on Writing for TV, Managing money on set, Wellbeing in the industry and Programming films.
We know film festivals can be packed with content that can start to feel a little overwhelming, which is why our festival venue has relaxing break out spaces where guests can take a break from the busy activity, whether it’s simply having a coffee to scroll on your phone or meet some new film friends.
We’ve hosted our popular 2000’s themed film quiz each Saturday night with a fun selection of prizes and themed rounds, we’ve had soundtrack karaoke nights, disco bingo, live podcasts, slumber party themed opening nights and of course our awards ceremony.
There’s also our creative craft events where you can be part of some low key networking while painting, zine making, scrapbooking or taking part in some creative writing.
5 years in the making…
We set the festival up in 2019 with a clear mission of providing a safe and inclusive space for female filmmakers to showcase their work, network with dream collaborators and enhance their knowledge and understanding of the industry and beyond through engaging workshops and roundtables.
But there’s festivals all over the place, so how were we going to stand out? Well, it was all about authenticity. Lower submission fees because filmmakers struggle with funding enough, low ticker fees because why should cultural activity outprice hard working people and of course, an aura of fun energy surrounding the film screenings - we’re not just about people sitting in a dark room, which is why we embody entertainment in our breakout sessions and evening events.
2019 - In a whatsapp group we started planning what our dream event would be, after hosting several successful film screenings and workshops in London, we were ready to step it up.
2020 - Our first festival was planned to be at the Darlington Hippodrome, but due to the lockdowns we were all online - which didn’t stop people from attending, we had 180 people join us virtually and every screening had a full house Zoom Q&A session. Our team also grew to 20 and we sure needed it with how much the festival was growing.
2021 - We were at the ARC Centre in Stockton for our second edition, where we held a hybrid approach, finally allowing people in our cinema screens. We welcomed 200 guests that year in the building and online, hosting live podcasts, workshops and panels and our first ‘proper’ awards show.
2022 - We went full circle and brought our festival dreams to life at Darlington Hippodrome for our third edition, hosting over 230 guests and selling out screenings on 2 out of 3 dates. We also introduced our Soundtrack Karaoke and 2000’s film quiz events, along with an awards show with exciting prizes from our partners.
2023 - We received BIFA accreditation, allowing all films we screen to be put forward for the British Independent Film Award nominations for our fourth edition. We also broke our record on film submissions and hosted our first script competition for writers, along with welcoming the festival to children audiences for our special screening of The Gruffalo. We increased our audience by 20% too….sorry that we ran out of printed programmes and lanyards!
2024 - We’re back for 3 days of the festival this year, and we can’t wait to share more with you, but for now…you’ll have to wait!
Festival Team
Our festival is entirely volunteer run, yes that’s right! We don’t currently receive any funding or make enough profit to have a year round salaried team. Thankfully, these guys have a wide range of experience, working in other film festivals, TV broadcasters, film journalism, media and development agencies across the UK.
Core team: Caris Rianne, Sophie Duncan, Ashton Clarke, Jade Howey, Pearl Andrews-Horrigan, Mel Fielding, Emily Garbutt, Neha Vyas, Laverne Caprice, Charlotte Clark, Amy Ware, Lara Clark, Miranda Bentley, Abbie Lucas and Divine Hemedi.
New Festival volunteer submissions are currently closed, but we will re-open in May 2024 for those interested in working shifts at our venue, you can email us to express your interest for now.
Our volunteers are provided with full travel, accommodation and meals during the festival weekend.
Collaborate with us this year…
Partnerships are key for a growing festival like Women X, and we’ve been fortunate to build some incredible relationships with like minded organisations and brands.
Want to work with us in 2024? We offer different levels of sponsorships to cater to you and your budget, complete the form and we will be in touch with our pitch deck!
Here’s who we’ve worked with in the past…
What they’re saying about Women X
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Love what the team at Women X are doing and was so proud to bring Fifty-Four Days, Ceres and Measure to the festival this year. I look forward to submitting many more films in future!
Cat White, 2023 Alumni
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Women X is such a joyful festival, with so many brilliant women working to make every event inclusive, supportive and enjoyable. It's the kind of festival i would travel to attend even without a film showing. I can't wait for the next year!
Misha McCullagh, 2023 Alumni
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Another magical year at the Women's X festival! The selection of the films was top-notch. Our film shined along the other gems in the "Something Wicked This Way Comes" strand. Big kudos to the curation of the programme. Another big applause, to the people organising the festival, the films themselves and the filmmakers; all were really inspiring!
Athanasia Bartzoka, 2022/2023 Alumni
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Women X was a great event. Communication was very clear and the sense of community was strong. The festival had a great turn out and the audiences felt engaged, enthusiastic and supportive. It was a great environment for filmmakers to mingle and connect.
Joanne Michael, 2023 Alumni
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Women X is an absolutely fantastic festival and this year was no exception. As a filmmaker, the communications and what they needed before the festival was great. It was super easy to get to the festival and once there, there was so much to do. I really enjoyed the workshops they put on and left feeling inspired and with new connections that I hope to nurture and collaborate with for the future. 10/10 excited to go back.
Samantha Castro, 2023 Alumni
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One of my absolute favourite festivals! Really terrific support and the loveliest team and audience
Louise Nesbitt, 2022 Alumni
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Cannot say enough good things about this festival! From start to finish, it was an amazing experience. The panels, each program, the talkbacks, the social networking events, accommodations made at the venue... all of it! Caris and team are creating an incredible community and it was a true gift to participate in it this year. Can't wait for the next one!
Averi Israel, 2022 Alumni
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Women X may be a new festival but the professionalism of the organisers and care put into the festival is far superior to many "established" festivals I've attended. The team's communication is fabulous and they worked miracles around the whole Covid situation, as well as selecting a really terrific program. They give female filmmakers lots of support and a great platform to talk about their work. A brilliant festival!
Natalia Andreadis, 2021 Alumni
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If you're looking for a festival that's personal, supportive, inclusive and run by caring people who clearly love film, and want to bring people together. And do it with style. Women X is everything. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend x
Kathryn MacCorgarry Gray, 2020/2021/2022 Alumni