Celebrating this year’s standout stories
This year, we received over 330 submissions from filmmakers all over the world.
From these, our judges selected 52 films for the WOFFF25 main programme – and now, 30 of those have made it to the Judges’ Shortlist, to be recognised at the WOFFF25 Awards Ceremony at Depot cinema, Lewes, on Saturday 13 September.
These shortlisted films reflect the incredible breadth, depth and heart of the stories we’re proud to share at WOFFF – stories that are bold, moving, surprising, and unforgettable.
A global stage – and some firsts for WOFFF
This year’s shortlist spans the globe, with stories from across the UK, Europe, Asia, North and South America – and for the first time, films from Ecuador, Guyana and Colombia.
In Journey Back to Alcedo (dir. Gianna Haro Vallazza), two 70-year-old best friends return to the Galápagos Islands to climb a live volcano and revisit the giant tortoises they first met over 40 years ago. My Dad, Guyana and Me (dir. Noella Letitia Mingo) sees a London-born filmmaker explore her family’s Caribbean roots, while Two Travelling Aunties (dir. Christine Seow) follows Singaporean friends embracing van life on the roads of Colombia.
From the Galápagos to Yorkshire, Tokyo to Toronto, these films show that women’s voices and visions are shaping cinema in every corner of the world.
Across generations
Many of the shortlisted films explore relationships that span generations – sometimes close and nurturing, sometimes strained or bittersweet.
In The Tale of Mari (dir. Anya Vaughn), a granddaughter tells her grandmother’s immigrant story from Okinawa to America, while Of All The Things (dir. Steff Lee) delves into a mother-daughter relationship weighed down by possessions and memory.
Looking for Alan (dir. Gareth McCann) reflects on companionship and care in later life, and A Year of Hands (dir. Cally Trench) captures the passage of time through a year-long daily drawing ritual.
Together, these stories explore how knowledge, traditions, and emotional legacies are passed on, and how each generation finds its own way forward.
The adventurers and the changemakers
Our shortlist is full of women breaking boundaries – embarking on physical challenges, creating art that rewrites the rules, and standing up for change.
In Old Girl in a Tutu: Susan Rennie Disrupts Art History (dir. Cheri Gaulke), feminist scholar Susan Rennie inserts her queer, octogenarian body into great works of art, disrupting the male gaze with humour and wit. Bird Woman (dir. Tokio Oohara) turns vigilante on Tokyo trains during the pandemic, and Ode to Age (dir. Kati Kallio) sees a group of Finnish women cast off convention (and their clothes) for a technicolour leap into summer.
Whether climbing volcanoes, reclaiming public spaces, or making bold political art, these stories show that the drive to explore, challenge, and create can thrive at every stage of life.
Judges' Shortlist for WOFFF25
The 30 shortlisted films will be celebrated at our WOFFF25 Awards Ceremony at Depot on 13 September, with 20 of them screening in our curated in-person programme during the day.
You can see all the shortlisted films below – and don’t forget, you can also enjoy all 52 films in the main online programme from 5 September to 6 October.
We hope you can join us this year at WOFFF to experience the richness of women’s stories from around the world, stories that entertain, challenge, and stay with you long after the credits roll.
| Film Title | Director/s |
| A Burning Turret | Humberto Flores |
| A Year of Hands | Cally Trench |
| Bird Woman | Tokio Oohara |
| Chai-Coffi | Sanjoli Malani |
| Gossip/Clecs | Harri Shanahan |
| Holding On | Emma Croft |
| Holding Stone | Evie Bulloch |
| Journey Back to Alcedo | Gianna Haro Vallazza |
| Looking for Alan | Gareth McCann |
| My Dad, Guyana and Me | Noella Letitia Mingo |
| Nana | Katia Crivellari |
| Ode to Age | Kati Kallio |
| Of All The Things | Steff Lee |
| Old Girl in a Tutu: Susan Rennie Disrupts Art History | Cheri Gaulke |
| Olga’s Eyes | Sarah Carlot Jaber |
| Passageways | Geneviève Tremblay, Milla Cummings |
| Pegs & Bacon | Sarah Nicola Mason |
| Remar | Adán Aguilar |
| Risa | Kate Weare, Jack Flame Sorokin |
| Somber Tides | Chantal Caron |
| The Architect of the Liminal | Deb Ethier |
| The Illustrated Woman | Isabel Hergura |
| The Paper Bag | Roshi Nasehi, Al Orange |
| The Pearl Comb | Ali Cook |
| The Tale of Mari | Anya Vaughn |
| Two Travelling Aunties | Christine Seow |
| Under the Surface | Jake Mark |
| Villanelle for Elizabeth not Ophelia | Sarah Tremlett |
| Visible Mending | Samantha Moore |
| We’re All Black Down Here | James William Mellors |
Shortlisted scripts
We’re delighted to reveal the four shortlisted scripts that will be recognised in the Short Script Competition, sponsored by Shedunnit.
These scriptwriters will be celebrated on Saturday 13 September at the WOFFF25 Awards Ceremony, taking place at Depot. Tickets for the Awards Ceremony are free and can be booked on the Depot website.
| Title | Writer/s |
| Blaggers | Helen Daugherty |
| Matryoshka | Karla S. Bryant |
| Rafta, Rafta (Slowly, Slowly) | Misha Hassan |
| Success | Michelle Clemens |
