discussion: Eastern Women – Women in shorts

after the screening Eastern Women

Short films are often seen as more friendly to women than the world of full-length feature films, where more money is at stake. For many women-directors, the road leading from short films to a feature-length debut is often more difficult than for their male colleagues. Why is this happening? Female directors and producers from Eastern Europe will talk about the presence of women in cinema and the realities of working in a mostly male environment. They will share their experiences and insights. How do they perceive the position of women in short films? Do female directors need to fight for it and resort to extreme measures to be respected on the set? Do they feel good in the film world or see some barriers? What is the celluloid ceiling and does it exist? Do women have to be more gifted and more determined than their male colleagues to become successful? What needs to change to have more women present in film industry?

Moderator: Zofia Jaroszuk

Panelistki/Panelists:

Klara Kochańska
Director and screenwriter, Warsaw University graduate, since 2009 studying film directing at the Film School in Lodz. The winner of the prestigious prize awarded by the American Film Academy, the so-called Student Oscar for Tenants.

Masha Kondakova
Ukrainian director, currently working on a documentary about women fighting for the Ukrainian army. Her debut film Fallen Leaves premiered at the festival in Locarno.

Diana Kardumyan
Film director born in Armenia in 1981. She studied film directing at the Yerevan State Institute of Theater and Cinematography and participated in different film festivals, workshops and master classes as a director and producer.

Marta Lewandowska
Film producer, has produced over 20 short films. Her feature film The Saint (2016) is now triumphing at many prestigious international festivals.

Milica Tomović
Film director, graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade. Her film Transition premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and won the award for best short film at the festival in Sarajevo.