In-person at the Music Box Theatre with virtual events on our YouTube channel: April 25 – May 2, 2024

The 6th edition of the Cinema Femme Short Film Fest runs from April 25 – May 2, 2024. This one-of-a-kind festival emphasizes the importance of supporting emerging female and non-binary filmmakers by connecting them to seasoned industry members through the Breaking Down Walls mentorship program and retreat.

Twenty short films have been selected to screen across four programs. Four of those filmmakers will then be awarded a three-month mentorship with a seasoned filmmaker. There will also be a weekend retreat opportunity to spend time with the mentors in-person. This is a new addition, as we had started the festival during the COVID lockdown, and an in-person event for the program was not an option.

Above are our mentors for our 2024 festival, (L-R) Ellie Foumbi (“Our Father, the Devil”), Glamhag (“Holy Trinity”), Emily Robinson (“Eighth Grade,” The Year Between,” “Virgin Territory”), and Emily Lape (“Mercy’s Girl”). Learn More. In prior years our esteemed mentors have been Isabel Sandoval, Melora Walters, Stephanie Filo, Julie Keck, Christine Swanson, Jennifer Reeder, Lisa Robinson, Annette Davey, Kate Hackett, Cecilia Albertini, Deborah Kampmeier, Haroula Rose, Patricia Vidal Delgado, and Laura Moss. Our mentees have gone on to successful projects at Disney, HBO, and more. We are so excited about how this program is blossoming.

This will be the festival’s second year screening at the Music Box Theatre. Along with the screenings this year, we will have in-person events with filmmaker Q&As and panels. There will also be virtual events featured on our YouTube channel.

Music Box Theatre

Sponsors and Partners

Noisefloor Sound Solutions is an audio post production studio in Chicago. We are sound specialists for commercials, film, video games, & TV.

Optimus is a leading production and post-production house with offices in Chicago. A true one-stop shop,

Your one-stop post production studio, with locations in Chicago & Los Angeles

Shorts Program 2: Sincerely, Yours Screening Partner

Established in 2014 by Erica Basel, Camera Ambassador is a woman-led equipment rental house, one of only three nationwide. They support a thriving community of artists, offering high-quality film equipment, exceptional service, and genuine support for productions. Additionally, Camera Ambassador enriches the filmmaking community with monthly workshops, feedback sessions, screenings, internships, and their annual outreach initiatives: Community Builders Grant and The Call Sheet Magazine. Visitors are welcomed into the shop by friendly staff and shop dogs, have ample space to relax at the snack bar, and are supported in all stages of their creative journey.

In-Kind Partners

Thank you to the Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce for partnering with us on our silent auction! Get a preview of our silent auction. We are so happy to feature local women-owned and non-binary businesses for this year’s event. The Greater Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce is guided by the belief that the creativity and diverse industries of Ravenswood position it as a destination neighborhood. Our flexible, collaborative, and inclusive approach allows us to address the complex needs of our members — from industrial manufacturers, retailers, service providers and restaurants, to start ups, artisans, non-profit organizations and everything in between.

Thank you to Cafe Tola for partnering with us for our closing event on May 1st! Cafe Tola is a latina-owned Chicago-born small business specializing in authentic Mexican cuisine. They are known for our hand-rolled empanadas made from scratch daily, as well as our signature horchata latte! 

Cinema Film Festival is excited to announce we are fiscally sponsored by Independent Film Alliance, so all your contributions are tax-deductible!

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FESTIVAL TEAM

Photography by Sally Blood

Rebecca Martin Fagerholm (she/her), Festival Director

Rebecca Martin is the Managing Editor of Cinema Femme magazine and the Festival Director of Cinema Femme Short Film Fest. She founded her publication in 2018 because she wanted to create a platform for female and non-binary voices in the film community. She has hosted film screenings in Chicago, led virtual panel discussions, Q&As, and has covered festivals like the Chicago International Film Festival, Sundance, Tribeca, and the Bentonville Film Festival.

Rebecca is the editor in chief for THE CALL SHEET, a magazine that launched in January 2023, a collaboration between Cinema Femme and Camera Ambassador. Newcity’s Chicago Top 50 Screen Gems in 2022.

Emily Broderick (she/her), Managing Director

Emily Broderick is thrilled to join the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival team this year as their Managing Director. A 2019 DePaul graduate in Film and Television, she has worked in video production, photography, and at a variety of film festivals including the Chicago International Film Festival, the Champs-Elysées Film Festival, and Sundance. She is honored to get to take her experiences and bring them to the festival to showcase and uplift the films and filmmakers to the audience. (edited) 

Sofia JoAnna (she/her), Creative Director

Sofia JoAnna (she/her) is an actor/dancer/creative especially passionate about coming-of-age film and television. She is based in Los Angeles where she works as an actor and dancer (represented by Baron Entertainment) on various film, tv, commercial, theatrical, and live productions. Sofia has starred in Monkey Bars and Babyface, both of which have screened in past Cinema Femme festivals. She has also collaborated with See Humans on multiple theatrical productions in New York (Off-Broadway), LA, and Boston as a choreographer, performer, and creative team member. Sofia holds the values of the Cinema Femme community extremely close to her heart and is thrilled to be continuing her role as Creative Director of this year’s festival. 

Alissa Pocius (she/her), Social Media Director

Alissa is an experienced professional in social media marketing, with a strong social media strategy and content creation background. Staying in her home state, she completed her B.A. in Social Media and Digital Strategy at Columbia College Chicago. Alissa’s goal is to create meaningful and professional content that inspires herself and others. When she’s not working, she enjoys exploring new restaurants in Chicago, being outside, and spending quality time with her friends and family.

Caroline Salinas (she/her), Social Media

Caroline Salinas joins the Cinema Femme Short Film Festival team this year, bringing her expertise as a content creator and social media manager hailing from Southern California. Proudly an alumna of California State University Fullerton, she’s passionate about inclusive storytelling and celebrating diverse voices.

Jill McKeown (she/her), Event Director

Jillian McKeown is a librarian by day and a film lover by night (and day). She has her Bachelor’s degree in Women’s and Gender Studies from DePaul University and her Master’s degree from Dominican University in Library and Information Science. Jill, who is a proud Illinois native and stands behind ketchup on her vegan hotdog, lives in Chicago with her two cats and husband, filmmaker Michael Glover Smith. 

Kat O’Brien (she/her), Filmmaker Workshop Facilitator

For over 20 years, Kat O’Brien has developed film and television for Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony, Anonymous Content, Focus Features, Rogue Pictures, Alcon Entertainment, Morgan Creek Productions, Blue Star Entertainment, and numerous internationally renowned and critically acclaimed independent filmmakers and television producers. During the pandemic, Kat executive produced We Still Teach TV, for which she was awarded the Chicago Teachers’ Union LEAD award as a champion for education justice. As a world-renowned expert in story development, Kat has consulted for the Doha Film Institute and Film Al-Ula. She holds a BFA in Writing for Film and Television from the University of Southern California, and she teaches at DePaul University, Columbia College Chicago, and The Second City Film School. You can read more and contact her at kobwriting.com.

Katie (her/she) and Ian Bignell (him/he), Festival Formula, Halyna Hutchins Producer Award Jury

Katie and Ian Bignell, Festival Formula, are collaborating with Cinema Femme in choosing the recipient of the 2024 Halyna Hutchins Producer Award. This award will be given to the producer behind one of the selected films who is exemplary at managing crew and creating a safe set. The filmmakers behind the shorts will nominate their producer, and after review of the nominations, Cinema Femme and Festival Formula will choose a winner from this year’s festival. This will be the award’s third year, named after the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who we tragically lost too soon in 2021. As part of the award, Katie and Ian are offering their services to the recipient to help support their film festival run.

About Festival Formula: Festival Formula wants to nurture your film through an efficient system that is approachable, informative, and showcases your film to the right audience. Our detailed, bespoke strategies and hands on submission management means you can pursue your filmmaking career with more projects and more networking opportunities. With our extensive knowledge and experience of the worldwide festival circuit, we are always up-to-date with what festivals from all levels are doing and needing. Where film schools and education bodies can provide basic prep for stepping on to the circuit, this is where we step in to drill deeper and provide advice to get filmmakers (and festivals) prepared for their journey.

Learn more about the Halyna Hutchins Producer Award and Festival Formula!

Danielle Garnier, Garnier Public Relations, is our festival publicist. This is our second year working with Danielle, and she is a big part of why Cinema Femme Short Film Fest is now on the Chicago map. Danielle is Chicago bred and has earned her stripes in promotions and marketing in every media format: print, packaging, radio, venues/live performance, television, film and digital. Situated locally and performing globally, she has worked with players both new and established in the independent film industry-regionally, nationally, and in a number of countries and international cities.

Ashley Shelton (she/her), Programming

Ashley Shelton is an actress, writer, and director from Knoxville, TN. Her acting debut was the leading role of Margaret in the critically acclaimed SOMETHING, ANYTHING (2015 NYT Critics’ Pick, The Dissolve’s “Essential Viewing”). It was released commercially through Sundance #ArtistServices and IFP. Leading her to be featured on IndieWire’s 2015 Year-End Critics Poll as Best Lead Actress. Since, she has starred in numerous films and episodic television. Some of the most recent include A LITTLE PRAYER (Sundance 2023), THE EVENING HOUR (Sundance, 2020), THE GIANT (TIFF, 2019), WILD ROSE (TIFF, 2018), and Ethan Hawk’s series THE GOOD LORD BIRD (Showtime). She can currently be seen in Riley Keough’s WAR PONY (Cannes 2022). Her writing and directing path began with her award-winning short film MAGNOLIA & CLEMENTINE. The film was hand-picked to participate in AMAZON PRIME’S 2019 All Voices Film Festival which celebrated diversity behind the camera. Her directorial feature film debut BEST CLOWNS was released in November 2023 by 1091 Pictures. She is passionate about filtering stories through her own personal experiences in an effort to connect more deeply to the world around her.

Peyton Robinson (she/her), Programming

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL. Her interest in film began in fourth grade when her older brother showed her “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and kickstarted a fascination with horror. Since then her taste has expanded, and her favorite films are not only the scary ones, but any genre-bending personal narratives that examine identity, relationships, and the human condition.

Emily Jacobson (she/her), Programming

Emily is a graduate from the Cinema Arts + Sciences program at Columbia College Chicago. She currently works as a video editor in the city. She has written for Film Daze, Bloody Disgusting, and Cinema Femme. Her favorite Chicago based film is GO FISH.

2023 FESTIVAL

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