The 7th edition of the World of Film International Festival opens on 8 October 2020, and will run both in cinema and online over 4 days. The Festival aspires to bring more audiences, filmmakers and industry professionals together, creating a platform to exchange ideas, showcase their work and most importantly talk on film and new trends in the industry, women filmmakers of today and independent film production in Europe, the US and beyond.
The focus of the Festival remains on independent cinema from all over the world, by showcasing the work of first feature filmmakers, women directors and eastern European cinema in three main sections, First Features, The Female Perspective & Focus on Balkan Cinema. We also continue supporting the world of animation, with our 3rd Animation Day, in collaboration with Animaze. This year we’re collaborating with the European Film Academy, screening ten short films which were nominated for the Best Short Film Award at The European Film Awards.
2020 has been a challenging year for everyone in the creative industries, including film festivals and events. Martin Petrov, Festival Director, commented: “In times of great turbulence for our industry, we have a commitment toward the public, our audience, and the talent we represent each year to be more supportive than ever. As a team, we are most proud of where WoFF takes us every year, and we hope that our hybrid 7th edition will make people feel connected again through the love for independent cinema.”
The 7th edition of WoFF will open in Glasgow with an exciting screening of The Woman Who Ran by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Sang-soo Hong. The film premiered at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival in February and was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director. The screening will take place at Cineworld Renfrew Street on Thursday 8 October at 7pm.
A jury of three extremely talented young film professionals will award films in the seven categories in the competition. The competition titles will all be screened online through the four days of the Festival. Singaporean-British filmmaker Rory 子豪 Power-Gibb has worked on several major titles include this year’s blockbuster Tenet (2020), while UK-based Dekel Berenson directed Cannes Short Film Award winner Anna. American filmmaker Amanda Rogers completes the panel having worked on documentary films and creative projects with organisations such as Carnegie Hall.
First Features | Online Screenings
A selection of debut features from around the world. One of the highlights comes from Israel in the form of 15 Years from director Yuval Hadidi. It stars Oded Leopold whose demons start haunting him and his life unravels after his boyfriend of 15 years starts talking about children. Also included is Rotten Ears by Polish director Piotr Dylewski which explores the impact of a lack of communication on married life.
Shorts Competition | Online Screenings with Q&As
Some of the hottest titles from the short film circuit will be screened as part of WoFF this year. Shown over five screenings, titles include Maciej Kawalski’s Polish film Atlas, which is currently being considered for the 92nd Academy Awards, having won two Oscar Qualifying Film Festivals. Another to feature is Jianna Maaarten’s fact-based short film SIN CIELO, based on the true stories from La Frontera. The Shorts Competition programme will be accompanied by a Q&A session after each screening.
Female Perspective Competition | Online Screenings
This year WoFF will be continuing to focus on features directed by women from around the world. We’ll be screening freelance director Katharina Ludwig’s debut feature and graduation piece This Is Where I Meet You, about a struggling female artist. Also screening will be the second feature for Ana Laura Calderón, Mezquite’s Heart, about a young yoreme girl who unintentionally challenges cultural traditions.
Female Perspective Shorts | Online Screenings with Q&As
A number of short films by talented female directors, split over three screenings. Each of these shorts screenings will also be accompanied by a Q&A session. Included is Fi Kelly’s comedy short The Last Mermaid which stars Janey Godley as a middle-aged mermaid who hides away on the banks of a remote Scottish loch.
Focus on Balkan Cinema
Directors from the Balkans are also represented within this year’s Festival, with our competition section dedicated to the best in Balkan cinema. Bulgarian director Lubomir Dankov’s powerful debut documentary The Donbass Children is one of the highlights. The Bulgarian photographer has been exploring the impacts and themes of the Donbass Wars and this is his first feature title. The Festival will also be screening several short films including Varun Sasindran’s Omarska, a similarly powerful conversation with the survivors of the Omarska concentration camp.
Animation Day | Online Event
2020 marks WoFF’s third Animation Day, screening the best of animation shorts and documentaries on the art of animation. All titles will be available to view online for 24 hours. The event will run all day and our popular ‘Women in Animation’ panel returns on Saturday afternoon to bring to the table burning issues around the animation industry in the UK, the challenges and new horizons after the pandemic. One of the titles to look out for is Sorcha McGlinchey’s short film Rawr.
European Film Academy Shorts | Online Screenings
The European Film Academy Shorts is the European Film Academy’s short film tour, which brings the latest European short film candidates, nominees and winners to audiences across Europe. This year WoFF features a selection of ten of the European Short Film Candidates. Among them are the five final nominees up for the Best European Short Film. As part of the Shorts we’ll be screening Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Candidate Patison Avenue by Thanasis Neofotistos, and Martina Scarpelli’s Vienna Short Film Candidate EGG.
More info & Ticket: https://woffglasgow.com/
