BFFF 2021
How was the first edition?
The first edition of the Bucharest Feminist Film Festival was a dream that came true at the beginning of September 2021, at Cinema Europa. We had 5 days full of film screenings, Q&A sessions with directors from several countries, from different continents, educational workshops and debates.
Through this festival we wanted, since the first edition, to reclaim the word “feminism” and bring it closer to as many people and as many institutions as possible, with the aim of contributing to building a society based on gender equality, for the benefit of all.
Through films and non-formal education, the goal of the festival is to create a space for dialogue and learning, a context in which to deconstruct social norms and reflect on how we can have a society based on equity.
During the 5 days of the first edition, we reached a number of 1,500 young people who came to screenings and workshops that the festival hosted, who also participated in 4 Q&A sessions with 9 guests from different continents.
At the same time, we organised 5 other events, where we collaborated with different people and organisations from the feminist community:
- ✔ Workshop on self-representation in film, facilitated by Patrick Brăila;
- ✔ Workshop on consent, facilitated by Girl Up Romania;
- ✔ Feminist writing workshop, facilitated by Gen, revista;
- ✔ A photo exhibition with the title "Why am I a feminist", created in collaboration with Iele-Sânziene Association;
- ✔ A Newspaper Theatre performance, organised by A.R.T. Fusion volunteers;
- ✔ A concert, where we listened to Ana Coman singing in Expirat.
Awards in 2021
The jury made up of Ruxandra Ghițescu, Oana Ghera and Georgiana Vrăjitoru chose two winning films, one in the short film category and one in the feature film category.
The most appreciated short film was “All I need is a ball”, directed by Elena Molina. The Spanish short film tells the story of Paloma Pujol, freestyle football champion, and shows how she made her way in a men’s world and how she encouraged and helped other girls to practise this sport. Both the director and the protagonist were in Bucharest during the festival, where Paloma did a freestyle performance on the cinema stage and told us about how she was treated differently since her childhood in Mexico just because she is a girl. You can listen to more details about her feminist perspective in the interview here.
Mina Keshavarz, the director from Iran, who was also with us in Bucharest during the festival, won the jury prize for the best feature film. Her film, “The art of living in danger”, tells the story of activism for gender equality and shows the context in which women fight for change, in a society where domestic and gender-based violence is not punished by law.
Feedback from participants
„I really liked the theme of the festival, I really needed a festival that would focus on women’s issues.”
„…generally speaking, it was a wonderful event. It’s new, it’s powerful, it’s revolutionary. I can’t wait for the next editions in which I hope I can get more involved!”.
BFFF 2021 After Movie
You can see the story of the first edition of the Bucharest Feminist Film Festival in the after movie below.
Partners
The first edition of the Bucharest Feminist Film Festival was organised with the support of the Council of Europe, through the European Youth Foundation and Embassy of Spain in Romania.
Institutional partners: Embassy of Sweden in Romania, Greek Cultural Foundation, Embassy of Mexico in Romania, Gen, revista, Iele-Sânziene Association, Girl Up Romania, Friends for Friends – In a Relationship Foundation.
Media partners: IQ Ads, Munteanu, Flawless, Movienews.ro, Cinepub, Private Education, Igloo, Days and Nights, Bucharest Cultural Events, Film Menu, Radio Romania Actualitati, Spotmedia.ro
See you there!
