Tickets and VIP passes on sale NOW for the 2025 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival in Chicago from July 17 - 21!

About Us

Cinema Femme Unleashed

Championing diverse voices in film through mentorship, community, and our vibrant film festival.

Our Story

From Film Lovers to Nonprofit

Cinema Femme began in 2018 as a digital love letter to film — written by women and nonbinary cinephiles who wanted more from the industry and the stories it tells.  

What started as a passion project has grown into a nonprofit platform driving real change through mentorship, media, and our annual short film festival. We exist to amplify underrepresented voices and create new opportunities for filmmakers to be seen, funded, and supported.

Since our founding, we have interviewed hundreds of creators in film from all over the world. Some of our recent past interview subjects include Susanna Fogel, Numa Perrier, Laura Moss, Ellie Foumbi, Mary Harron, Dawn Porter, Emma Seligman, Jennifer Reeder, Isabel Sandoval, Deborah Kampmeier, Haroula Rose, and Megan Griffiths.

What We Do

Highlighting the Underrepresented in Film

We champion emerging and underrepresented filmmakers through:

A global short film festival featuring bold new voices
Mentorship programs connecting creatives with working professionals
A quarterly magazine spotlighting the stories and advice behind the screen
A digital platform that shares interviews, essays, and industry insights
A growing peer community where our members can find validation, inspiration, and opportunity

Everything we do is built to spark visibility, connection, and sustainable careers.

Discover our impactful programs

Film Festival, Mentorship, and Membership

Our Film Festival celebrates diverse voices in cinema, providing a platform for underrepresented filmmakers. Through our Mentorship program, we empower aspiring artists with guidance and support, fostering their growth in the industry.

Showcasing unique stories from emerging filmmakers.
Guiding the next generation of creative talents.
Included with the festival are our workshops, and panel discussions about important and relevant topics in the industry.

Partner

Our International Media Partnerships

We are proud to be media partners with Cineuropa. We believe cinema can make our world feel more united, and as Cinema Femme is a platform for championing female and non-binary people in film, we also like to shine a light on the exciting work that is being done outside of the US. Through Cineuropa we are able to widen our network and showcase interviews with women in the European film industry.

Celebrating Our Milestones and Achievements

2018

Founding Year

Cinema Femme began in 2018 as a community of female cinephiles who wrote love letters to cinema and the female and non-binary people a part of cinema, accompanied by illustration.

2019

First Essays and Illustrations

In 2019 our essays and illustrations were inspired by “Black Panther,” “Strong Island,” “A League of Their Own,” “Clueless,” and other films.

2020

First Festival & Mentorship Program

Launched to support emerging female filmmakers through guidance and resources for their projects.

2020 - Present

Membership Growth

Our community has expanded, welcoming passionate individuals dedicated to supporting women in film.

Cinema Femme was such a rewarding and powerful festival to attend. I am so grateful for all the wonderful filmmakers it connected me to, and I left extremely inspired!

Giovanna Molina

We were so honored that our short film 72 played this terrific festival. The communication was great and the film was promoted beautifully by the staff. Being able to be on a panel with other filmmakers was wonderful.

The Film 72

One of my favorite festivals because of Rebecca’s spirit and everyone involved. So full of heart, and the films they screen are all so versatile and thoughtful. Can’t suggest it enough!