FFFest Brings Female Perspective On Filmmaking To Downtown Los Angeles

The all-female FFFest, the Female Filmmakers Festival, has set its inaugural lineup, highlighted by the world premiere of Maverick, directed by Cara Stricker.

The three-day screening and talk series will celebrate accomplished female filmmakers and empower women who want to break into the industry. It will take place at The Downtown Independent in Los Angeles October 12-14 and hopes to provide guidance, resources, and community for women filmmakers aspiring to break into the industry, along with inspiration to women at all career levels.

“We want more women to make films and we believe that sharing as much information as possible is the way forward,” said festival founder and creative director Clémence Polès. “We want to tackle topics that are not addressed, like how to balance motherhood and filmmaking.”

In Maverick, A young woman struggles to break free from a controlling relationship and reclaim her identity in a story of love and gaslighting. She lives in a progressive commune and finds herself on the verge of insanity, looking for unusual ways to fill her time. When her ex-lover Dick arrives unexpectedly, she is forced to confront him, and she finally begins to see beyond his charismatic manipulation. The film marks Cara Stricker’s directorial debut, and the director, along with actress Abbey Lee (Mad Max, Fury Road) and composer Empress Of will answer questions following its screening.

Other festival highlights include screenings of Skate Kitchen by Crystal Moselle, Salaam Bombay by Mira Nair, Danzón by Maria Novaro, Headless Womanby Lucrecia Martel and the rare Mossane by the first sub-Saharan African female director, Safi Faye.

Panels planned include Redefining Representations of Women On Screenwith actress Sanaa Lathan (Nappily Ever After), casting director Sarah Finn (Black Panther), and actress Jameela Jamil (The Good Place), moderated by IndieWire editor-at-large Anne Thompson; and How To Balance Motherhood & Filmmaking with director Lake Bell (In A World), director Maria Novaro (Danzon), and director Augustine Frizzell (Never Goin’ Back), moderated by Moms in Film co-founder Christy Lamb.

More information on the festival is at fffest.org.