5 Short Films By Texas Women To Watch This Weekend
Over the years, we’ve hosted more than 50 short filmmakers at BABES FEST, our annual festival celebrating women and nonbinary creatives. As we gear up for our first-ever virtual edition of BABES FEST this weekend, our founding Executive Director Jane Hervey has selected five of her favorite short films from previous BABES FEST lineups. Watch and enjoy!
Photo by Bonica Ayala from We Are: A Short Film Series
1.) WE ARE FILM SERIES
We Are - A Short Film Series — We Are is an anthological short film series that offers a glimpse into the lives of seven women of color navigating their way through friendships, self-doubt, and quarter-life crises in Austin, Texas.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Bethiael Berhane Araya is an Eritrean and Ethiopian-American filmmaker and producer based in Texas. After interning for director Richard Linklater, she created and directed the short film series, We Are, which was picked up for distribution by Issa Rae Productions. Her latest short film, Yirga, had its world premiere at SXSW 2019 and she’s currently penning her feature film debut.
2.) FEMME FRONTERA
The Inaugural Femme Frontera Film Showcase — The first annual Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase premiered on August 1st, 2016 at the El Paso, TX Alamo Drafthouse to a packed house. It then embarked on a national U.S. tour screening at independent theater houses, universities, and film festivals. The Showcase is a celebration of women filmmakers living on the U.S.-Mexico border region.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:
Femme Frontera was founded in 2016 by six female filmmakers from the U.S.-Mexico border region of El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. We advocate for the amplification of films made by women from border regions across the globe. In 2017, Femme Frontera was featured in Variety Magazine, Remezcla, and Texas Monthly magazine, among others. The Femme Frontera Filmmaker Showcase began as a celebration of films made by women filmmakers from the U.S.-Mexico border region. Since then, we have expanded to include powerful short films from around the world, whose stories challenge perceptions about women, border communities, immigrants, people of color, the LBGTQ community, and other marginalized communities. For 2019, Femme Frontera will host its first annual Children’s Showcase as part of its additional programming. Femme Frontera is Angie Reza Tures, Ilana Lapid, Iliana Sosa, Jazmin Harvey, Jennifer Lucero, and Laura Theresa Bustillos Jáquez.
3.) FEMBEAT
FemBeat Docuseries — FemBeat is a documentary series that showcases different self-identifying women and non-binary folx in our community. Through an intersectional lens, we strive to provide an uninterrupted platform for storytelling and sisterhood.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:
Samantha Skinner and Kayla Abuda Galang formed FemBeat in 2014 out of a shared desire to create a platform to help women share their stories, be heard, and heal. Many short films, online premieres, and live events later, FemBeat has grown into a seasoned team with a full production schedule and an unstoppable passion to represent and support women of all backgrounds.
4.) UNTAPPED
Untapped Docuseries — Directed by Antonette Masando, Brown State of Mind follows Austin's rising creatives as they share their personal stories and perspectives on the city's burgeoning cultural arts scene. Meet digital storyteller Evelyn From the Internets as well as music artists Mélat, The Teeta, Joaqu.n, Mike Melinoe , and PNTHN.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Antonette Masando is a multimedia creative based in Austin, Texas. In 2016, while attending the University of Texas at Austin, she began her media work as a music intern at radio stations KUTX 98.9 and KMFA 89.5, and later, as a promotions assistant at iHeart Media, Inc. She then went on to host and executive produce the entertainment news show Austin Underground, honored as the “Show of the Year” and “Best Social Media” by Texas Student Television in May 2018. Today, Antonette continues to amplify Austin music culture through video production and podcasting. Her latest project, ‘Untapped’, focuses on the lives and experiences of up-and-coming artists of color across the city.
5.) LE 27 JUILLET
Le 27 Juillet — Jessie relives the memories of her struggle with depression as she waits in line to put minutes onto her phone. The more she waits, the more she is exposed to a new and growing fear.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Deborah is a Haitian filmmaker based in Austin, Texas. Her passion for her home country of Haiti drives her to bring to light unique stories centered around the Haitian narrative and the Haitian Diaspora. She has worked with organizations such as Counter Balance ATX, 70 Million Podcast, the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, Just Liberty, Frontier Camp, and Jacob's Well Camp, and has worked for and interned at Austin Film Society, Austin Public, and Austin Film Festival. Her script Catharsis: A Journey Through Anger was a quarterfinalist for the Fall 2019 Screencraft Film Fund scriptwriting competition and is being turned into a short film that will be released later this year.
curious about BABES FEST?
You can catch a virtual version of the festival this weekend and join us in-person on September 3, 4 and 5 in 2020. You can learn more about submitting to the fest and attending the festival here.