FF2 Contributor Lindsy Bussonnette 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 🙂
The Athena Film Festival this year was fantastic. Great films, thoughtful panels and a wonderful turnout. My favorite film by far was Angry Indian Goddesses. I also saw A Girl Unbound, The Women Who Run Hollywood, and The Revival: Woman and the Word. Additionally, I attended a Q&A of The Women Who Run Hollywood and The Revival: Women and the Word. The experience was wonderful and the festival was a triumph.
My Best of Fest
Angry Indian Goddesses
Written by Pan Nalin, Subhadra Mahajan, Dilip Shankar and Arsala Qureishi and directed by Pan Nalin, this narrative film is about seven career-driven, independent women and how one of these women, “Freida” (Sarah-Jane Dias), brings them all together for one big mysterious celebration. There are a million twists and turns, but you will have to see this film to learn about them! A celebration of heritage and women, and a beautiful story, Angry Indian Goddesses was by far my favorite film at the Athena Film Festival 2017.
A Girl Unbound
Directed by Erin Heidenreich, A Girl Unbound is a documentary about Maria Toorpakai Wazir, the Pakistani squash player who defies gender stereotypes and ignores death threats from the Taliban in order to follows her dreams. She has trained all her life to be the best squash player that she can and has been inspiring young women of Pakistan along the way.
The Women Who Run Hollywood
Written and directed by Clara and Julia Kuperberg, this documentary is about the female writers, directors and editors in the early 1900s, and how there were more females in the film industry during this time than any other time in history. The doc takes us through several famous women who have been buried in history, and how eventually women were shut out of the industry.
The Revival: Women and the Word
Directed by Sekiya Dorsett, The Revival: Women and the Word is a documentary of the queer women of color and their seven city tour across the country to bring music, song, and poetry to people all over America.
© Lindsy M. Bissonnette (1/27/17) FF2 Media
Photo Credits: 2017 Athena Film Festival
