Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival Offers Virtual Screenings

SARASOTA, FL — For 22 years, the Through Women’s Eyes International Film Festival has brought films by women directors and focusing on women’s issues to the forefront in Sarasota.

“We want to give female filmmakers, writers and directors a voice. They’re so marginalized in the mainstream world and it’s important to get their voices out there,” said E. Scott Osborne, the film festival’s chair.

An event organized by UN Women USA’s Gulf Coast chapter, an organization that champions global gender equality, the festival draws directors, actors and film lovers to the area the first weekend of March each year.

As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to affect everyday life, though, this year’s festival will look quite different, Osborne said. This year’s festival, which runs Friday through Monday, has gone virtual to adapt to the pandemic.

The films – 12 features and 22 shorts – are divided into 17 film blocks that can be streamed over four days. Film screenings can be bought or gifted online here.

A live awards ceremony will take place Monday at 5 p.m. Awards will be given to Best Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Emerging Filmmaker and TWE Team Choice. Entry to the streaming ceremony is included with all ticket passes.

Osborne said she’s “very hopeful this first year going all virtual.” She also sees it as an opportunity to reach new viewers in other parts of the world.

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“It’s disappointing to not be able to hold this festival in person and bring everyone to (Sarasota) but this is an opportunity for more people to see these films,” she said. “They can still watch them from home. The platform is very user friendly.”

The festival’s selections come from 21 countries this year and represent a range of experiences ‘from Burkina Faso to Bolivia to Turkey and Belgium,” she said. “Every continent is represented and there’s a broad international range.”

Osborne added, “We always tell people that if they want a tour around the world and not the kind of films they see on Netflix, Amazon or Disney Plus, this great way to do it.”

All proceeds from the festival will be used to support the UN Women USA’s programming, she said. “We’re not a profit-making institution. We do it because we love the films. We love the themes and the issues, but we also do it because we support the mission.”

The organization’s Gulf Coast chapter, founded in 1993, is one of the largest chapters in the United States. In addition to the film festival, the chapter hosts a book club and community conversations, presents an annual luncheon with guest speakers, organizes a Winter Walk to raise funds and awareness for violence against women, and promotes the HeForShe movement.

Learn more about the UN Women USA’s Gulf Coast chapter here.