Free guide from Secret Actor Society
74 festivals around the world with a section, award, prize or lab for women directors, women filmmakers or female leads, plus the best festivals run entirely for women. Ranked by how much the festival counts in the industry, with how to enter and the next deadline.
How to read it
Every fact here comes from the festival's own website, its FilmFreeway or Festhome page, or the Academy's list of qualifying festivals. Checked 20 October 2026.
Each festival sits in a tier. Tier A is the world's top festivals, tier B is well-regarded, Oscar-qualifying or long-running, and tier C is solid niche and regional festivals.
Inside each tier, Oscar-qualifying status, international accreditation (FIAPF) and years running push a festival higher.
Open entry the women's festival or program takes submissions.
Enter festival submit to the festival. The women's award goes to eligible films that get selected.
Apply to program a lab, fund or talent program with its own application.
Invite only curated or by invitation.
Next deadline shows the next date the festival has published. "Not out yet" means the next call hasn't been announced.
Dates and fees change, so always check the festival's page before you pay anything.
Pay-to-play "laurel mill" festivals. They look like women's festivals but sell awards. How to spot one.
The list
Filter by tier, show only festivals taking entries right now, or search for a country.
Cannes, France
Kering Women In Motion (Women In Motion Award plus Emerging Talent Award, with talks). Invitation and peer selection only; not a submission category.
Venice, Italy
Miu Miu Women's Tales (commissioned shorts by women directors premiering at Giornate degli Autori). Also ELLE BNP Paribas Women In Venice editorial awards (first edition 2026). Both invitation only.
Sitges, Spain
Best Actress award (Official Fantastic competition) plus WomanInFan program and Woman in Fan Grand Honorary Award
New York, USA
Nora Ephron Award (juried prize, with its own 'Nora Ephron Prize' jury). Films enter automatically by being selected for the festival; there is no separate category to tick.
Tokyo, Japan
Women's Empowerment section (curated, non-competitive)
Toronto, Canada
Share Her Journey (permanent TIFF initiative since 2017). It funds talent programmes: Talent Accelerator (6 Canadian women creators), Share Her Journey fellowships within Filmmaker Lab, and the CHANEL Women Creators' Network for...
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Best Actress award, Crystal Globe Competition
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo Film Festival Special Award for Promoting Gender Equality (with Mastercard), a cross-section juried prize; CineLink Female Voices Award (industry, development projects); Amira Lekic Award (young BiH women producers).
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Women in Cinema Gala (Red Sea Film Foundation with Kering, at the festival and at Cannes) and Kering Women In Motion talks in Jeddah. Honours by invitation.
Cleveland, USA
Reel Women Direct Award for Excellence in Directing by a Woman (audience-voted, $10,000, sponsored by Deborah Bachman Ratner). Automatic for women-directed features in the festival.
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Whole festival for women of color; cash awards incl. Best Narrative Short ($1,000), Best Director ($500), Best Screenplay, Reel Sisters Spirit Award
Seattle, USA
Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, presented by Women in Film Seattle. Automatic: goes to the woman-directed film with the highest audience ballot score.
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Women in Film Award (honorary, given to a woman with a significant and lasting impact on the industry). Not a submission category.
Taipei, Taiwan
Whole festival (sections incl. New Currents, Women Issues, Queer Films)
Florence, Italy
Competition for first and second features by contemporary women directors (Best Picture Award)
Créteil (Paris region), France
International competitions: feature fiction, feature documentary, short films
East Hampton, New York, USA
NYWIFT Awards for Excellence (narrative feature and documentary feature, cash prize, automatic for women or non-binary directors in the lineup) and the Women Calling the Shots short film showcase (separate free call run by...
Mill Valley / San Rafael, California, USA
Mind the Gap initiative: Mind the Gap Creation Prize ($10,000 unrestricted, automatic for eligible features in the festival), MTG Elton Prize ($10,000 grant), MTG Award (honorary), Mind the Gap Favorite (audience award) and the...
Seoul, South Korea
Discovery competition (first/second features by female directors); Asian Shorts competition; I-Teens
Vienna, Austria
International Competition and Up & Coming Competition for animation by women and genderqueer artists
Ankara, Turkey
Main competitive section ('Her Biri Ayrı Renk' in 2026) with FIPRESCI Award; Bilge Olgaç Achievement Award
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Haebler Award for women and non-binary directors (automatic for eligible films in the festival); AWFJ EDA Awards for Best Female-Directed Feature and Short (juried by Alliance of Women Film Journalists); Women in Focus Mentorship...
San Francisco, CA, USA
Whole festival for LBTQIA+ BIPOC filmmakers
Dortmund (2027 edition; alternates with Cologne), Germany
International Feature Film Competition (women directors); plus Panorama, desired! film lust & queer, Films for Kids and Teens
New York, NY, USA
Whole festival: films about women's leadership; awards include Breakthrough Award, Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Writer Award, Alfred P. Sloan Athena List Development Grant, Athena List Development Grant, Jaya Award
Los Angeles, CA / New York, NY (touring; based Kansas City), USA
Whole festival: showcase of genre films directed by women; Jury Award and Audience Award
Bentonville, AR, USA
Whole festival champions women and underrepresented voices; Grand Jury Prizes in each feature, short and episodic category
Madrid, Spain
Competición Internacional and Competición Española (Premio Directora Novel for first/second features)
Aswan, Egypt
Feature and short film competitions
Coronado, San Diego, USA
Dale St. Denis Female Filmmaker Awards (jury cash awards: Mary Pickford Award, Fearless Female Filmmaker Award, Frances Marion Award), listed 2020 to 2025; Best Emerging Female Filmmaker (audience award, 2024)
Salé, Morocco
Official feature competition; documentary competition (women directors); best first female role award
Reykjavik, Iceland
Eurimages Audentia Award for the best woman director (EUR 30,000), hosted by a different festival each year: 2025 Cork IFF, 2026 International Crime and Punishment Film Festival (Turkiye), 2027 Reykjavik IFF, 2028 Sofia...
Berlin, Germany
Whole festival: horror by women, trans and non-binary filmmakers; Audience Award for shorts
Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Whole festival; Madelyn's Choice Award
Barcelona, Spain
Whole festival (curated, non-competitive)
Paris, France
Whole festival: lesbian and feminist cinema by women directors
Sarasota, FL, USA
Whole festival; Best Feature, Best Short, Best Emerging Filmmaker, TWE Team Choice, New Gate Inspiration Award
Toronto, Canada
Whole festival: Best of Show, Best Canadian/Foreign Feature, Best Debut Feature, shorts and doc awards
Seattle, WA, USA
Single category: Short Films by Women; awards incl. Best US Film, Best Foreign Film, Best Documentary, Best Comedy, Best Director, Best Editor
Davis, CA, USA
Whole festival (feminist and social justice focus); Curator's Award
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Whole festival; 16 awards with crystal trophies
Beverly Hills, CA, USA
Whole festival; awards incl. Best of the Festival, Best Short, Ladies Illuminate, Ladies Kick Butt, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress (feature and short)
Brussels, Belgium
International Competition (features by women directors); National competition Graines de cinéastes
New Delhi, India
Whole festival (non-competitive)
Denver, CO, USA
Whole festival; Barbara Bridges Inspiration Award (honorary, e.g. Julia Stiles 2025); Audience Award for features
Online (Grand Prize screening in Los Angeles), USA
Whole festival on women's and girls' rights; Leslie J. Sacks Grand Prize ($3,500) plus cash awards, about $13,000 total
Philadelphia, PA, USA
Whole festival; $100 prizes for Best Full Length Narrative, Best Full Length Documentary, Best Short Narrative, Best Short Documentary
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Whole festival; jury awards by genre incl. Narrative, Documentary, Horror/Genre, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Experimental
Bath, United Kingdom
F-Rating (Triple F-Rating for women director, writer and significant female lead)
Bellingham, WA, USA
Whole festival; Script Studio live reading for unproduced short scripts by women
Denver, CO (plus national tour), USA
Whole festival requires a female or gender-nonconforming lead; awards incl. Best of Festival, People's Choice, Fem-Wow, Most Inspiring Story, Wildest Adventure
Las Vegas, NV, USA
Whole festival; awards incl. Best Female Protagonist, Spirit of Activism, Best Feature, Best Live Action Short, Nevada Woman Filmmaker of the Year
New York, NY, USA
Whole festival; Emerging Voices mentorship for three winners; Moonshot Pilot Accelerator entry for three screenwriters
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Whole festival; 28 award categories incl. Panavision Best Cinematography Award ($60,000 equipment rental to a female filmmaker)
Brighton and Lewes (plus online), United Kingdom
Whole festival: films centring a woman over 50 or with a woman over 50 as writer, director or producer
Cotonou, Benin
Competition for African women filmmakers (Amazone d'or grand prize)
Recife, Brazil
Whole festival (selection with screening fees paid to filmmakers)
Chicago, IL, USA
Whole festival; Breaking Down Walls mentorship (four filmmakers), Halyna Hutchins Award, Phenomenal Person in Film Award, Critics Choice, Audience Award
Chicago, IL, USA
Whole festival; BBFF Grand Jury Prize, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, Centerpiece Feature
Boston, MA, USA
Whole festival: animated films directed by women
Vancouver, Canada
Whole festival incl. Best Feature, Best Direction, Best Performance
Melbourne, Australia
Short film competition: Best Short, Best Next Gen Short, Best Victorian Short, Critics' Choice
Santiago, Chile
International Feature, International Short and Chilean Film School Short competitions
Mexico City, Mexico
Whole showcase (non-competitive selection)
Marseille, France
Festival of Mediterranean women directors; Prix Jeunes-Nouveau regard, Prix France 24; professional days pitch
Milan, Italy
Whole festival dedicated to women directors
Harare, Zimbabwe
Main Competition incl. Best Actress, Best Depiction of a Woman; World View; New Man; Documentary
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Whole festival
Annecy, France
Whole festival incl. Best Direction by a Female Filmmaker
Sydney, Australia
Short film competition (overall Winner, jury awards)
London (plus online), UK
Whole festival: sapphic (women loving women) storylines
Santa Monica, California, USA
Whole festival: comedy written and/or directed by women
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Sick Chick Flick Award; Best Female Lead (certificate)
Warsaw, Poland
Whole festival: documentaries by women; HER Docs Forum industry event; Another Story section
Nothing matches that. Try clearing the search or the filters.
Spotted a date that has moved? Festivals change their calls every year, so the festival's own page always wins.
Before you pay an entry fee
Some "festivals" exist mainly to collect entry fees and sell laurels. Programmers, agents and buyers know the names, and those laurels can work against you. Watch for these signs.
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