Underwire Festival

Underwire is the UK’s only film festival celebrating female filmmaking talent across the crafts. Founded in 2010 with the aim to change the face of the industry from the inside out, the festival has awarded training and mentoring opportunities to a decade of filmmakers and has screened over 800 films. Underwire is now a BAFTA recognised film festival. The Underwire Awards are given in recognition of the teamwork and skill necessary to produce a film, and aims to acknowledge the artistry and vision required in the key production roles. These awards are open to films with women working in each specific category, and we accept a mix of genres: drama, animation, documentary, music video and artist film. The festival recognises talent across Directing, Producing, Screenwriting, Editing, Cinematography, Sound Design, Composing, Production Design and Animation, and any short film that has a woman in one of those roles is eligible. With women making up only 21.8% of a typical feature film crew it is clear that these talents must be showcased early, to propel the women filmmakers of the future into their feature film careers. With a clear objective to improve the statistics in front and behind camera, there are also awards for female crew members Under 25, actors, and for onscreen representation with the XX Award that is open to all films that foreground female characters and stories from filmmakers of any gender. Underwire continues to promote collaboration and nurture new talent throughout the year, bringing its community of female filmmakers together through panel discussions, expert presentations and practical guidance that look at the craft and business of filmmaking, demystify the skills and provide insight into new opportunities on the horizon.