Welcome to the 21st edition of the Female Eye Film Festival! The past few years have been tumultuous, to say the least. Our beloved tagline – Always Honest, Not Always Pretty – has never seemed more fitting, given all the challenges we’ve faced. FeFF returned live in 2022, while remnants of the virtual panels and the signature Directors’ Roundtable discussion remained online so we could engage more foreign delegates, who were unable to attend in-person.

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We are thrilled to have an in-person festival with so many out-of-town filmmakers, talent, and crew members attending this year, along with all the amazing screenwriters who will take part in the Script Development program.

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Due to cutbacks and the industry lockdown, we are delivering somewhat of a pared-down version of FeFF, which we could not have produced without the tremendous support of IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts) 873 and AFBS (Actra Fraternal Benefit Society), who generously increased their contributions, and the Ontario Arts Council for providing an annual operating grant in 2022. We are most grateful to Rolling Pictures, which handled our print traffic, and Telefilm Canada for their continued support of our Canadian film programs.

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I want to thank Nadia Kwiatkowski for her dedication, management, and enthusiasm in her first year with FeFF. This edition of FeFF would not be possible without her and our volunteers, which includes many of our long-standing team members, who’ve dedicated valuable time and energy to help make FeFF 2023 a success.

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​We welcome you to celebrate films and screenplays with our audiences and local industry guests, who have graciously donated their time and expertise to this edition.

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​Upward and onward!

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​Yours sincerely, 

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Leslie Ann Coles (She/her),

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Founder, Executive/Artistic Director, The Female Eye