London’s Women and the World International Film Festival wraps its second edition Nov. 12 with Eleanor the Great.”
Star Erin Kellyman will participate in a post-screening Q&A in partnership with Sony Pictures Classics and led by Victoria Emslie, the British actor-producer behind Primetime who also sits on the festival jury.
“The film invites us to confront and sit in the messiness of loneliness, both in the present moment and through an intergenerational lens; and challenges the perceived risks of connection by letting ourselves be truly seen and known by others,” Emslie said. “In an increasingly polarised and unpredictable world, one of the most effective way to remedy and alleviate both the individual and collective fear and scarcity is to come together in community, which is why WWIFF has ripple effects beyond the festival itself.”
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Other jury members include screenwriter Peter Straughan (“Conclave,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”), actors Daniel Ings (“The Crown”), Tamara Lawrance (“The Silent Twins”), Diem Camille (“Alien”) and festival co-founder Ksenia Bugrimova.
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Competition categories span documentary, feature, short, performance and director, with the Women of Global Impact Awards honoring filmmakers addressing conflict and social change through their work.
“We truly love this festival with all our hearts because it’s about youth, sensuality, possibility, and social meaning,” said co-founder Mariia Vynogradova, who hosts the Eurovision Song Contest. “It reminds us why women’s voices in cinema matter more than ever.”
The Nov. 6-12 event kicked off with Gar O’Rourke’s “Sanatorium,” Ireland’s Oscar entry, where Lady Sophie Windsor presented the opening night’s Women of Global Impact Award to Nicole Ansari-Cox for advocacy work with displaced women globally.
“We must continue to support refugee women and filmmakers everywhere, Iranian, Palestinian, Ukrainian, or any other,” Ansari-Cox said. “Whenever women rise, communities heal. This festival proves that art can be a bridge between pain and hope.”
Ukrainian producers established the festival in 2022 through Talented U Limited, a London nonprofit connecting creative professionals across 12-plus countries.
