Celebrating stories on the Big Screen
On Saturday 13 September, the Women Over 50 Film Festival returns to Depot in Lewes for a full day of screenings, filmmaker Q&As and the annual WOFFF Awards. Tickets are now available through the Depot website.
This year, we received over 330 submissions from filmmakers all over the world. From these, 52 films were selected for the WOFFF25 main programme (online from 5 September), and 20 of them will be celebrated on the big screen at Depot.
Our in-person festival brings together stories that are bold, moving, surprising and unforgettable, offering you the chance to connect directly with filmmakers and the WOFFF community.
Session 1: Disruptors
This session brings together stories about shaking up expectations and rewriting the rules.
In Old Girl in a Tutu: Susan Rennie Disrupts Art History (dir. Cheri Gaulke, USA), feminist scholar Susan Rennie inserts her octogenarian body into iconic artworks, taking aim at the male gaze with wit and irreverence.
In Olga’s Eyes (dir. Sarah Carlot Jaber, Belgium), a vampire mother and her daughter navigate the blurred line between the ordinary and the supernatural, probing what it means to live on society’s edges.
The Tale of Mari (dir. Anya Vaughn, USA) shares an immigrant grandmother’s story through the eyes of her young granddaughter, exploring identity and belonging across generations.
A Burning Turret (dir. Humberto Flores, Mexico) tells a tense story of family loyalty and danger, as a grandmother hides a wounded man while her granddaughter questions his presence.
And in We’re All Black Down Here (dir. James William Mellors, UK), the struggles of a Windrush family in 1950s Britain reveal the courage it takes to claim identity and acceptance.
Session 2: Home & Abroad
Where is home, and what does it mean to belong? These films explore the ties that connect us across generations and continents.
In Gossip/Clecs (dir. Harri Shanahan, UK), two older lesbians enjoy a train-powered honeymoon, delighting in the joy of love at any age.
Of All The Things (dir. Steff Lee, UK) unpacks the bittersweet process of letting go, as a mother and daughter grapple with possessions and memory.
The Pearl Comb (dir. Ali Cook, UK) takes us back to 1893, when a Cornish fisherman’s wife astonishes the medical profession by curing tuberculosis, sparking investigation and disbelief.
In Holding Stone (dir. Evie Bulloch, UK), the tactile experience of mud-larking becomes a meditation on memory and sculpture, while The Illustrated Woman (dir. Isabel Herguera, India/Spain) transforms the hopes of women tattoo artists into vibrant animation about freedom and independence.
Documentary My Dad, Guyana and Me (dir. Noella Letitia Mingo, UK/Guyana) follows a filmmaker’s search for heritage and belonging, while Journey Back to Alcedo (dir. Gianna Haro Vallazza, Ecuador) sees two 70-year-old best friends return to the Galápagos Islands, climbing a live volcano and revisiting giant tortoises they first encountered over 40 years ago.
Together, these films remind us that home is not only where we begin, but also the places, and people, we carry with us.
Session 3: Living Legends
This strand celebrates creativity, resilience, and the enduring power of women’s work.
In A Year of Hands (dir. Cally Trench, UK), daily ink drawings come together to show the passing of time through art and repetition.
Visible Mending (dir. Samantha Moore, UK) tenderly captures how people use knitting to heal, from regaining motor skills to processing grief or finding purpose.
Pegs & Bacon (dir. Sarah Nicola Mason, UK) offers a portrait of 84-year-old May Stock, the heart of a Yorkshire farm shop community whose warmth holds people together.
In The Architect of the Liminal (dir. Deb Ethier, Canada), an artist searches for meaning in a quirky blend of silent film and animation, while Ode to Age (dir. Kati Kallio, Finland) revels in the beauty of ageing bodies, with a group of women casting off societal expectations (and their clothes) in glorious technicolour.
RISA (dirs. Kate Weare, Jack Flame Sorokin, USA) presents an intimate portrait of acclaimed dance teacher Risa Steinberg, reflecting on a lifetime of artistry, while Chai-Coffi (dir. Sanjoli Malani, India) follows a grieving widow whose journey intertwines with the energy and hope of a 12-year-old girl.
From hands that create to bodies that endure, these films reveal the richness of women’s lives and legacies.
WOFFF25 at Depot
On Saturday 13 September, Depot will host a full day of screenings from the WOFFF25 programme, with 20 shortlisted films shown on the big screen alongside filmmaker Q&As and our annual awards ceremony.
And the festival doesn’t end there, the complete WOFFF25 line-up of 52 films will also be available to watch online from 5 September to 6 October, bringing women’s stories from around the world straight to your screen.
We’d love you to join us at WOFFF this year, whether in Lewes or online, to experience stories that entertain, challenge, and linger long after the credits roll.
| Film Title | Director/s | Session |
| A Burning Turret | Humberto Flores | 1 |
| Old Girl in a Tutu: Susan Rennie Disrupts Art History | Cheri Gaulke | 1 |
| Olga’s Eyes | Sarah Carlot Jaber | 1 |
| The Tale of Mari | Anya Vaughn | 1 |
| We’re All Black Down Here | James William Mellors | 1 |
| Gossip/Clecs | Harri Shanahan | 2 |
| Holding Stone | Evie Bulloch | 2 |
| Journey Back to Alcedo | Gianna Haro Vallazza | 2 |
| My Dad Guyana & Me | Noella Letitia Mingo | 2 |
| Of All The Things | Steff Lee | 2 |
| The Illustrated Woman | Isabel Hergura | 2 |
| The Pearl Comb | Ali Cook | 2 |
| A Year of Hands | Cally Trench | 3 |
| Chai-Coffi | Sanjoli Malani | 3 |
| Ode to Age | Kati Kallio | 3 |
| Pegs & Bacon | Sarah Nicola Mason | 3 |
| Risa | Kate Weare, Jack Flame Sorokin | 3 |
| The Architect of the Liminal | Deb Ethier | 3 |
| Visible Mending | Samantha Moore | 3 |
| Somber Tides | Chantal Caron | During Awards Ceremony |
