Looking back at EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN IN FILM at this year’s Sydney Film Festival
Posted: 20th July 2023
Taking a stand for gender diversity in film, EFP (European Film Promotion) successfully launched EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN IN FILM at Sydney Film Festival (SFF) in 2016. In close cooperation with SFF, the programme recognises new works by some of Europe's most exciting women directors and presents them in a dedicated section of the festival. Suggested by the respective EFP member organisations, which includes Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, and selected by festival director Nashen Moodley, the programme highlights the virtuosity and strength of innovative European cinema by women film artists and features their work to Sydney's enthusiastic audience, press and Australia's welcoming and promising market.
This year, Claire Dix's Sunlight, which was released in Irish cinemas last month by Wildcard Distribution, was one of the 10 films selected as part of the programme. Funded through Screen Ireland's POV Female Creative Talent Scheme, the film follows former addict Leon (Barry Ward) as he sunnily bounces through life, brushing off the dealers who once had him in their thrall. But Leon is destabilised when he discovers Iver (Liam Carney), his best friend and mentor, has received a terminal diagnosis and is planning to pursue euthanasia. Determined to prolong his last days, Leon ropes Iver into one last romp across Dublin.
A range of virtual events were organised by EFP for the women filmmakers who were not able to attend the festival, including self-recorded introduction videos which were shown prior to all screenings, as well as participation in an online event (co-organised with the European Women's Audiovisual Network) for the filmmakers to forge alliances with each other, and to explore the importance of physical health and safety, zero tolerance of harassment and bullying, better mental health and wellbeing and best practice in shooting intimate scenes. The filmmakers were also profiled on Screen International and interviewed on online magazine Fade to Her.
This year’s 70th Sydney Film Festival was a huge success with more than 120,000 film fans attending over 400 film screenings, special events and talks from 7-18 June 2023. 242 films from across the globe were presented, and audiences were eager to take part in the festivities with over 100 sold out sessions across the Festival. The complete list of films selected as part of the EUROPE! VOICES OF WOMEN IN FILM programme is below:
- BAND by Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir (Iceland 2022)
- BEHIND THE HAYSTACKS by Asimina Proedrou (Greece, Germany, North Macedonia 2022)
- ELAHA by Milena Aboyan (Germany 2023)
- FAMILY TIME by Tia Kouvo (Finland, Sweden 2023)
- THE GIRL FROM TOMORROW by Marta Savina (Italy, France 2022)
- THE QUIET MIGRATION by Malene Choi (Denmark 2023)
- SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD by Anna Hints (Estonia, France, Iceland 2023)
- SUNLIGHT by Claire Dix (Ireland 2022)
- THAT AFTERNOON by Nafiss Nia (The Netherlands 2022)
- THUNDER by Carmen Jaquier (Switzerland 2022)
Find out more about all ten films on EFP's website.
Sunlight is written by Ailbhe Keogan, produced by Roisin Geraghty for Blinder Films, executive produced by Katie Holly and Yvonne Donohoe for Blinder Films, and Lesley McKimm and Niamh Fagan for Screen Ireland.