It’s undeniable that 2018 has been a momentous year for women working in the film industry, and the wider creative industries. Conversations have been started that can never be undone, and movements have gained significant momentum.
At Underwire Festival, we continue to grow and build a platform that champions women working across the film crafts, and spotlighting the most exciting up-and-coming talent working today.
More shorts than ever before
This year, the festival is bigger than ever before, having grown to a 10-day film festival taking place across some of the best cinemas in London (including the BFI Southbank, Barbican, Prince Charles Cinema, The Castle Cinema and welcoming new partner venue, Regent Street Cinema). Our core programme will be screening 152 short films, each with a woman in a HOD position that is nominated in at least one category at the Underwire Awards. Each of the shorts programmes are built around a theme, exploring everything from motherhood to masculinity, genre likes comedy and horror, British identity and trauma.
Spotlight on Rina Yang and Georgia Parris
This year, the festival also pays tribute to two extremely talented makers: cinematographer Rina Yang, whose work has been featured (and awarded) at Underwire over the past few years; and writer-director Georgia Parris, also an Underwire alum who will premiere her feature film debut Mari at the BFI London Festival.
New partnerships
Expanding its own programme, this year Underwire has invited guest curators into its programme: Bechdel Test Fest, an ongoing celebration of women in film, will present a specially curated event exploring women of color’s relationship to their hair; influential short film platform Short of the Week will present a selection of award-winning, female-directed shorts from around the world; feminist horror film collective The Final Girls will host a midnight screening; and celebrated production company somesuch has curated an event around the representation of women in hip-hop music videos.