In November 2017, we launched our inaugural challenge after Katrina Medoff posted on the NYC Women Filmmakers Facebook group to gauge interest in a weekend-long film challenge for all-female casts and crews. More than 300 women responded in just 10 hours, and it was clear that female filmmakers were hungry for an opportunity like this. Challenge co-director Tracy Sayre partnered with Medoff in this endeavor, and the Women's Weekend Film Challenge was born.
Over 160 women applied to be placed on nine film crews. Challenge co-directors Katrina Medoff and Tracy Sayre spent the holiday season poring over applications to ensure that every crew had the equipment, locations and talent they needed to complete a short film with no additional funds (aside from some limited contributions for food and props). Each team had a director, two producers, two or three actors, a cinematographer, an assistant director, an assistant camera person, a sound and lighting team, an editor, at least one production assistant, a social media expert, and a composer.
On January 18, the official challenge began. The teams received their random genre assignments and a required prop. They had until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. to write, shoot and edit a short film. All nine teams completed this challenge on time! The following weekend, we hosted a screening at NYU to celebrate these films.
The short films have been accepted into multiple film festivals including HBO's Women in Comedy Festival, DC Shorts, Lighthouse International Film Festival, and Congested Cat IndieWorks.
The Women's Weekend Film Challenge was proud to partner with NYC Women Filmmakers on this inaugural challenge. Check out the posters for the nine short films of the inaugural Women's Weekend Film Challenge: