UN Women San Francisco Film Festival Showcases World Premieres of Women Filmmakers Sept. 16

SAN FRANCISCO, 30 Aug. 2017—The U.S. National Committee (USNC) for UN Women San Francisco Chapter is hosting the Global Voices Film Festival Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Premier Theatre at Lucasfilm in San Francisco. The festival, dedicated to presenting new work by emerging and established women filmmakers, will showcase 10 feature-length and short films produced, directed or written by women. For the first time, Global Voices Film Festival will host a virtual reality (VR) film event: Lived Stories: Women in VR Showcase, featuring five VR films by women filmmakers, on Thursday, Sept. 14 at GoPro in San Mateo. Net proceeds will benefit the global programs of UN Women.

“Only 7% of directors of the top grossing 250 films in 2016 were women1, proving that women continue to face a ‘celluloid ceiling’ in obtaining key behind-the-scene roles in the film industry,” said Amy Logan, President of the USNC for UN Women San Francisco and CEO of Gender Innovation. “We are honored to host Global Voices Film Festival to provide women filmmakers with a platform to showcase their unique voices and stories, and champion an equal representation of gender in film.”

Festival judges include Cristina Escobar, Director of Communications at The Representation Project; Tiffany Shlain, Emmy-Nominated Filmmaker; Meg G. Crofton, former President of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts; Cristin Pescosolido, VFX Supervisor at Lytro; and Amy Logan.

Immediately following the film festival, USNC-UN Women SF and Lyft will host the Filmmaker Awards Afterparty at Lyft Headquarters in San Francisco. The reception will feature a panel of industry insiders and the festival’s filmmakers, who will discuss how we can change the underrepresentation of women in key decision-making roles in film. An awards ceremony honoring festival winners will round out the evening.

Festival Program

• 􀁸 Driving with Selvi (Directed by Elisa Paloschi); San Francisco Premiere
• 􀁸 Primary Colors (Produced by Emily Ramsay); San Francisco Premiere
• The Sandman (Directed by Lauren Knapp); San Francisco Premiere
• Girls Level Up (Directed by Anne Edgar); Bay Area Premiere
• All of Me (Directed by Daphne Schmon)
• What Tomorrow Brings (Directed by Beth Murphy); San Francisco Premiere
• Surviving International Boulevard (Directed by Sian Taylor Gowan)
• Faithful (Produced by Jenn Lee Smith); World Premiere
• He Said (Directed by Tara Lynn Orr); San Francisco Premiere
• Iridescence (Directed by Eileen Byrne); USA Premiere

The Global Voices Film Festival is sponsored by GoPro, Lyft, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Salesforce. For more event information, including a detailed film schedule, visit: www.globalvoicesfilmfestival.org.

Tickets can be purchased online at: un-women-filmfest.eventbrite.com.

MEDIA PASSES AVAILABLE FOR EVENT: Contact Cindy Bao, pr@sfba.unwomenusnc.org, 949.351.6687

1 “The Celluloid Ceiling: Behind-the-Scenes Employment of Women on the Top 100, 250, and 500 Films of 2016,” Martha M. Lauzen, Center for the Women in Television and Film, Jan. 2, 2017.