For Film's Sake (FFS), formerly World of Women’s Cinema (WOW) Film Festival and known as the WOW Film Festival, is a film festival showcasing films made by women that ran in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. It has been on hiatus since the 23rd edition in 2019.

History

The WOW Film Festival was organised by Women in Film and Television (WIFT) NSW, from around 1996. Georgia Wallace-Crabbe was director of the festival in the 1990s. Initially restricted to

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, the festival's aims were to promote and recognise through awards "the talents of women

directors Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

producers Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, writers,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, ...

s and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the c ...

s in the

Australian film industry The cinema of Australia had its beginnings with the 1906 production of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received internati ...

and internationally". In 2013, Tamara Popper was director of the 19th edition of the festival, and it took place to coincide with

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday list of minor secular observances#March, celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights, women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, ...

, in locations including Dendy Cinemas and

AFTRS The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority. History Establish ...

. The festival's patron in 2014 was

Rachel Griffiths Rachel Anne Griffiths (born in 1968) is an Australian actress. Raised primarily in Melbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian series ''Secrets'' before being cast in a supporting role in the comedy '' Muriel's Wedding'' ...

. In 2016, the 21st edition of the festival was advertised as "screening in Sydney Australia, travelling to national and overseas locations". It was scheduled to run in Sydney from 28 April to 1 May 2016, and then tour Australia from May 2016 to May 2017, and included premieres of four international

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

s. However the 2016 festival was mounted under its new name For Film's Sake (FFS), with

Gillian Armstrong Gillian May Armstrong (born 18 December 1950) is an Australian feature film and documentary director, who specializes in period drama. Her films often feature female perspectives and protagonists. Many of her movies are historical dramas. ...

as patron and with a digital remastered version of her acclaimed 1979 film ''

My Brilliant Career ''My Brilliant Career'' is a 1901 novel written by Miles Franklin. It is the first of many novels by Stella Maria Sarah Miles Franklin (1879–1954), one of the major Australian writers of her time. It was written while she was still a teenage ...

'' screening on the opening night. The entries included both short and feature films. The film charity For Film's Sake was founded by media commentator Sophie Mathisen. In 2017 FFS was accredited by

AACTA The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

, and was supported by

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

Create NSW Create NSW is a government agency of the Government of New South Wales, that falls within the Enterprise, Investment and Trade cluster. The agency was created on 1 April 2017 from an amalgamation of Arts NSW (ANSW) and Screen NSW. Create NSW i ...

and the

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842 ...

. From From 2016 to 2018 FFS was the only AACTA-accredited female film festival in Australia. The 23rd edition, as FFS, was hosted by

Event Cinemas Greater Union Organisation Pty Ltd, trading as Event Cinemas, Greater Union, GU Film House, Moonlight Cinema and Birch Carroll & Coyle (BCC Cinemas), is the largest movie exhibitor in Australia and New Zealand, with over 140 cinema complexes cu ...

and presented in partnership with

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although its origins are said to trace back to the 1830s, the university was founded in its current form in 1988. As of 202 ...

and Create NSW. Its feature film award and bursary, named in honour of Australian e director Samantha Rebillet, was awarded to Jessica M. Thompson for her debut feature, ''

The Light of the Moon ''The Light of the Moon'' is a 2017 American drama film written, directed, and edited by Jessica M. Thompson. It stars Stephanie Beatriz as Bonnie, a woman who was sexually assaulted in New York City and covers a six-week period following the assa ...

''. The festival was paused after the 2019 event after a strategic review, intending to be revived at a future date.

Awards

WOW Film Festival awards included awards for best film in several categories; best director; best writer; best cinematographer; best editor; and best

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...

for eligible films.

References

External links

* {{official, https://forfilmssake.org/agitate/#festival
WOW Film Festival's Blog
(2008–2011) Australian film awards Annual events in Australia Film festivals in Sydney 1990s establishments in Australia