Women Over 50 Film Festival returns to Depot in Lewes

The event is the UK’s only international film festival that celebrates and showcases the work of older women in a central role, either on or off the screen.

This year’s festival will open with the work-place feature comedy Late Night, starring Emma Thompson, and close two nights later with Benedikt Erlingsson’s Icelandic black comedy Women at War starring Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir.

The main programme of 51 short films, from 15 countries, includes director Fi Kelly’s The Last Mermaid, starring comedian Janey Godley as Pearl, a chain smoking, Irn Brew swilling mermaid.

Tara Fitzgerald directs Rachel Stirling and Linda Marlowe in Nothing Important, the chilling tale of one woman’s efforts to steal her life back from her lonely female neighbour. Deb Ethier’s animation The Seamless Cup Society creatively uses the wonders of maths and science and a group of anonymous women to change the course of Menopausology. Director Jonah Jones’ Silent Ruin stars deaf actors Stephanie Black and Roger Hudson and is produced by Jaye L Swift. It anticipates the end of the world, and what it will sound like. Garry Crystal’s atmospheric Down stars Amanda Donohoe and is about two strangers who are trapped in a lift.

Nuala O’Sullivan, director and founder of the Women Over Fifty Film Festival, said: “It’s well documented that women in film still struggle to be seen or heard, and that’s truer still for older women. I founded WOFFF because I passionately believe that older women must be seen and heard, regardless of their age – or even because of it.”

Short films from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Russia, UK and USA will be presented across eight curated programmes, all followed with discussions from filmmakers and guest speakers. The WOFFF Awards Ceremony on Sunday, September 22, will include the Emerald Life Audience Choice Awards and jury winners for Best Animation, Best Experimental, Best Documentary and Best Student Film Award.

Find out more at wofff.co.uk.