The Australian Women’s Film Festival (AWFF), presented by M+C Saatchi Group, returns in September 2025 for its fifth year. Tickets are on sale now.

AWFF’s driving force is to support, celebrate, and bring to the fore female storytellers and leaders within the film industry by giving them a platform to show their talent both in front of and behind the camera. The festival will take place in Sydney on Tuesday, September 16 and will be hosted by Chika Ikogwe.

Chika Ikogwe

The festival’s judging panel for 2025 includes Camilla Mazzaferro (producer, Academy Award–nominated Porcelain War; Girls Can’t Surf), Charlee Fraser (actor, FURIOSA: A Mad Max Saga; Anyone But You), Lana Greenhalgh, (head of scripted originals at Foxtel Group) and Louise Gough (director of narrative content at Screen Australia).

l-r: top: Charlee Fraser & Camilla Mazzaferro. bottom: Lana Greenhalgh & Louise Gough 

AWFF co-founders, Tahyna Tozzi MacManus and Kelly Tomasich, stated “Reaching our fifth year is more than a milestone, it’s a testament to the extraordinary talent, creativity, and resilience of women in film. AWFF has always been about one thing: creating space for women to lead, tell their stories, and be heard. This moment only deepens our commitment to a more inclusive, powerful future for women in cinema.”

Lana Greenhalgh commented, “AWFF continues to be a vital platform for diverse, female-led storytelling. I’m excited to witness the innovation, courage, and passion behind this year’s entries.”

Charlee Fraser added,“I’m deeply honoured to be part of this year’s Australian Women’s Film Festival. Championing women’s voices in film is absolutely vital for the future of our storytelling, and I’m thrilled to help spotlight the incredible creativity and bold perspectives these filmmakers bring to life. I’m tremendously excited to celebrate these powerful voices.”

This year, AWFF will also honour cinematographer, Mandy Walker, with the AWFF Trailblazer Award, and Nadine Bates & Kristen Souvlis (co-founders of Like a Photon Creative) will be given the AWFF Groundbreaker Award for their contribution to animation.

Through the support of major prize sponsors, the winner of the Best Film at AWFF 2025 will have a big head start on their next film with their very own SONY ILME-FX6 Cinema Line camera, a $10,000 equipment rental package from VA Hire, a $10,000 rental package from Disney Lighting, and a $5,000 post-production package from Spectrum Films. Additional awards will be given for Best Drama, Documentary, Comedy, and Animation. Individual categories will also be recognised.

M+C Saatchi Group are sponsors of AWFF for the fifth year in a row. The festival is also supported by Screen NSW, Sony, Event Cinemas, Disney Studios Australia, and Amazon Web Services.

Tickets for AWFF 2025 are available to purchase now via Humanitix.

Australian Women’s Film Festival conditions of entry include:

• At least three of the film’s key creatives (e.g. writer, director, producer, dop, animator, composer, editor) must identify as female. This is designed to encourage the inclusion of women in an industry traditionally dominated by males. Men are not excluded from entering AWFF, but they must be willing to work in collaboration with women.
• Fictional films must also pass the Bechdel test, a measure of the representation of women in fiction. It asks whether a work features at least two women who have a conversation about something other than a man.