Athena Film Festival
A prestigious US film festival held annually in February at Barnard College in New York City, dedicated exclusively to films celebrating women's leadership and the stories of women who lead.
Overview
The Athena Film Festival is one of the most distinctive specialty festivals in the United States. Founded in 2011 and held annually in February at Barnard College in New York City, the festival focuses exclusively on films that celebrate women's leadership. Programming spans narrative features, documentaries, and shorts that portray women as leaders, decision-makers, and protagonists with agency.
The festival's founding at Barnard College, one of the United States' most prominent women's liberal arts colleges, gives it an institutional foundation that connects cinema with broader conversations about gender, leadership, and representation. The festival's academic context means that screenings are often accompanied by substantive discussions involving filmmakers, scholars, and activists.
Athena addresses a specific gap in festival programming: while many festivals celebrate women directors, Athena specifically focuses on the content of films -- whether they portray women in positions of leadership -- regardless of the director's gender.
Key Sections
- Feature Film Competition -- narrative and documentary features celebrating women's leadership
- Short Film Competition -- short films with women leaders as central characters
- Special Screenings -- high-profile films with post-screening discussions
- Panels -- conversations on gender representation and leadership in film
What Filmmakers Should Know
Athena accepts open submissions. Films must feature women in leadership roles as central to the narrative. Both films by women directors and films by male directors featuring strong women leaders are eligible.
The Barnard College audience and the festival's academic context create unusually substantive post-screening conversations and provide access to scholars, activists, and media professionals engaged with gender equity issues.
Major Awards
- Athena Award -- Best Film featuring women's leadership
- Best Short Film
- Audience Award
Festival History
Athena Film Festival was co-founded in 2011 by Kathryn Kolbert and Melissa Silverstein. The festival has grown into one of the most respected specialty festivals in the US gender and film space.
See Also
For women filmmakers and representation, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy.
