The Female Eye Announces 10th Anniversary of the Female Eye Film Festival

The Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto's only international film festival for female directors celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. The Female Eye presents cutting edge live action features and shorts, experimental, animation and explicit documentary films from debut, emerging and internationally recognized directors. The festival runs from March 28th to April 1st, 2012.

Attendees of this five full day event see Films, Script Readings, Industry Panel Discussions, Round Tables, Workshops and Best in The Biz Tribute Series along with the Honorary Director Brunch and Tribute.

Female Eye Founder and Executive Director, Leslie Ann Coles, is an award winning filmmaker and actress.  While working the festival circuit with her debut film, In The Refrigerator, it dawned on her that women were a minority - on the indie scene and in Hollywood. She launched an event so women could have an exclusive showcase in order to get their work to a wider audience.

The Female Eye Film Festival held its inaugural event in November 2001 showcasing 42 films directed by women.  The Female Eye Film Festival also honours local filmmakers with the annual Toronto Filmmaker Series and presents an impressive program of films from female directors from around the world.

In 2003 the festival hosted its first competitive filmmaking event, presenting juried awards for Best Films. In 2004, the festival launched its annual Script Development Program,  a two tiered competition for male and female screen writers as well as a series of community outreach programs. 

In 2006, The Female Eye produced the first Young Filmmaker Development Workshop involving teenage girls on the production of short super 8 experimental films that were premiered at the festival. The festival produced the 3rd edition of the YFDW in 2011 featuring Aboriginal woman and girls - these films will be showcased at the 2012 10th Anniversary Female Eye Film Festival.

The Female Eye presents extraordinary films by local, national and international directors and boasts the inception of the Honourary Director Award and Honourary Maverick Award. The festival continues to entertain and educate audiences while offering a perspective of the world through the female eye.  This year’s exciting line up of filmmakers and celebrities builds on the ever-growing success of ten years of The Female Eye Film festival to include its first Lifetime Achievement Award.