I recently had the great pleasure of speaking to Leslie Ann Coles about her amazing event FeFF. Sensing her enthusiasm from the first hello, I knew it was to be an enjoyable and entertaining interview.
Now in it’s fourteenth year, she initially launched the festival to see if there was a lack of female directors — or if there weren’t enough festivals to screen their work?
This year, there were over 400 international and Canadian submissions. That’s tripled from last year.
It started as a two-day event, but has expanded to six days. It includes panels of guest speakers, workshops, tributes, award ceremonies, pitching competitions, Thrills and Chills Night, a Good To Go (a type of intimate closed door meet and greet for writers with industry people) and a virtual reality class demonstrated by the Sleepy Hollow VR team.
Leslie relishes curating the film programs. She credits her dedicated and loyal team for the festival’s continued success.
Ingrid Veninger is crowned this year’s Honourary Director. Her film, He Hated Pigeons, is a road trip story about a man that hits the road to fulfill his deceased partner’s wish. Described as emotionally gripping, it takes you on an intimate journey. Filmed in Chile, it’s unique in the sense that it has a live musical score. She wrote, produced and directed it.
Ingrid also helps to facilitate other women’s films.
The fourteenth annual FeFF runs June 14-19th in Toronto.
Another year of the woman thanks to a call to action for diversity. The Female Eye Film Festival was way ahead of its time.
http://hnmag.ca/todays-top-stories/studio-selectees-casting-directors-call-for-diversity-and-erasing-eden/