Sports has come a long way from the gender inequality imposed on the field, and the inaugural Women Sports Film Festival features female athletes who are an inspiration to women and girls everywhere.
Celebrating female athletes and their storytellers through documentary film, the film festival will be held on July 28-30, 2016 at the New Parkway Theatre in Oakland, California.
Women Sports Film Festival program
The festival program includes nine feature length documentaries and a collection of eight short films featuring athletes from four continents and participating in eleven different sports.
From legendary champions to girls on the local playing field achieving extraordinary feats, these films as told by documentary filmmakers explore how sport shapes the lives of women and girls around the world.
“This festival is a response to the ongoing conversation about equity in female sports and filmmaking– there are great athletes, stories and storytellers out there and we want people to see and experience them,” stated Festival Director Susan Sullivan.
“Our mission is to create progress on both fronts when awareness of women’s sports is at an all-time high,” Sullivan added.
The Women Sports Film Festival is scheduled intentionally for the weekend before the opening ceremonies of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when awareness of women’s sports reaches a feverish pitch.
More importantly, the 2012 Summer Olympics have shown that athletic prowess is more dependent on training than gender identity or chromosomal makeup.
Women Sports Film Festival features
Festivities kick off on Thursday, July 28, with the opening night film, T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold. In an effort to make the festival as accessible as possible, the first day’s screening is free and open to all.
On Friday night, July 29, the award-winning film Althea is a trailblazing journey of legendary tennis player Althea Gibson.
On Saturday, July 30, a full day of films and post-screening discussions with film subjects and filmmakers will be done live and via Skype.
The festival closes with Keepers of the Game, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.
Stronger Than My Fears, a special festival trailer featuring the music of the band, SHEL, will highlight powerful clips from the documentaries to be showcased at the festival.
“I cried the first time I saw this collection of films capturing a brief glimpse into the lives of so many strong and beautiful women,” SHEL’s Eva Holbrook said.
“Nothing could express the heart of our song better than their stories of struggle, determination, and victory,” Holbrook said.