MOVIES FOR GIRLS

The Girl Improved (short) Film and Television Festival features movies about girls. Of course, highlighting female and nonbinary stories is a requirement for submissions. But these aren’t just movies for girls. They’re movies for boys, for women, for men, for nonbinary individuals, for older generations, for younger generations… these are films for everyone. 

 

Based in Austin, TX, GIFT Fest tackles the challenge of gender equality in entertainment by focusing on our next generation of filmmakers and creators. We believe that by ensuring girls or people who are nonbinary are 50% of the equation, projects are improved. Thus, they’re “girl improved.”

A hybrid online-drive-in festival, GIFT Fest 2021 is a virtual festival with an accompanying drive-in screening. Content is available for on-demand viewing during a one-week period in August. In addition, a special drive-in screening for local Austin filmmakers is held during the festival. The festival will culminate with an Awards Ceremony featuring an interactive panel with special guests.

 

GENDER EQUALITY IN ENTERTAINMENT

GIFT Fest invites young artists from around the world who identify as female or nonbinary, and who are 22 or younger, to submit content ten minutes or shorter that meets the following criteria:

  1. The director and a minimum of 50% of the key creative team (writer, producer, cinematographer, editor) must identify as female or nonbinary,
  2. A minimum of 50% of the people on screen or stage must identify as female or nonbinary, and
  3. The entire crew must consist of young artists (22 or younger).
    Note: See below for pandemic allowances

 

CREATING DURING A PANDEMIC

The pandemic has changed all of our lives. Significantly, we need to assure that ‘her’story and ‘their’story is part of ‘our’story. Thus, to accommodate for the challenges during this time, our Shelter-in-Place category allows for any combination of genders on screen or stage.

 

THE AWARDS

Separated by age, each GIFT Fest award winner will receive feedback from five different professionals in specific fields in the industry. Individual responses from a Writer, Producer, Director, Cinematographer and Editor will contain advice and suggestions on how to raise your work to the next level.

  • Four award winners in the 19-22 year old category;
  • Four award winners in the 16-18 year old category;
  • Two award winners in the 14-15 year old category;
  • Two award winners in the 13 and younger category;
  • Plus, CASH prizes!

 

 

WHAT IS GIFT FEST?

GIFT Fest is a compendium of films created by young people who identify as female or nonbinary. If you make stories for film, we want you to SUBMIT to GIFT Fest. On the other hand, if you’re interested as an audience for these creators, we want you to ATTEND the Girl Improved Short Film & Television Festival. Comparatively, if you’re here to support these young artists, we want you to GET INVOLVED. Regardless, we want you. More importantly, we need you. Together, we can join together and demand to see and hear stories from diverse points of view. Then, change will follow.

WHY GIFT FEST? WHY NOW?

We already have festivals for women filmmakers: Artemis Women in Action Film Festival. And we have incredible sites dedicated to empowering girls: Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls, A Mighty Girl. Additionally, we have organizations focused on gender disparity in the industry: Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, 50/50 by 2020. Not to mention, we have festivals for content created by youth: Austin Youth Film Festival, SXSW Texas High School Shorts. And don’t forget theatre: TNT Youth Conference, National Youth Arts Awards. So, why GIFT Fest?

Because the world needs more of it.

The world needs more places where young women and nonbinary youth can share their stories, exclusively. The world needs a place where we can see content created by young women and nonbinary youth, exclusively. The world needs access to an exclusive selection of nonbinary youth and girls’ movies and plays that feature a slew of people with their same gender identity. And eventually, we won’t need it anymore.

But right now, the world needs the Girl Improved (short) Film and Television Festival. Think of it as our GIFT to you.

GIFT FEST SPONSORS