16 Days 16 Films announces this year’s finalists & jury members

London & Paris, 17 November 2020: Modern Films and the Kering Foundation today announced the 16 finalists and jury members for the third annual 16 DAYS 16 FILMS initiative. This short film competition platforms female filmmakers and their films, which explore, emote, and educate on forms of violence against women. 

Inspired by the UN Women campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, the initiative will run online from 25 November to 10 December, between the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women and International Human Rights Day. 

16 finalists have been chosen from over 350 submissions from the UK, Ireland, France, Italy and for the first time, from Mexico and the United States. All films are directed by a female-identifying filmmaker, are 20 minutes or under, and speak powerfully to the many forms which gender-based violence and inequality and discrimination can take. 

One finalist short film will be released per day during the 16 days, on 16days16films.com. The films will also be shared by the specialist non-profit organisations supporting this campaign: Chayn Italia in Italy, En avant toute(s) in France, Fondo Semillas in Mexico, NNEDV in the U.S, as well as the UK Says No More campaign in the UK.
 

The initiative will conclude with a streamed online event and Awards Announcement on 16 December, hosted in partnership with Girls on Film and moderated by British film critic and broadcaster Anna Smith.  

An independent jury will be responsible for choosing the winning filmmaker and two runners up, with each of the three receiving a cash prize. The first-place winner will also receive the opportunity to create a new public service announcement for UK Says No More, a national campaign focused on raising awareness and preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence in the UK. 

The Awards Event will conclude with the announcement of the new 16 DAYS 16 FILMS Audience Award, where voting for the award will be available between 10 – 14 December on the 16 Days 16 Films website.

This year’s independent jury includes an array of individuals from various creative and socio-political backgrounds, including film producer Barbara Broccoli (James Bond); actress, and social justice humanitarian Ashley Judd;  social activist and psychotherapist Dr. Leyla Hussein; producer and writer Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor (Blue Story); actress Stacy Martin (Nymphomaniac); actress and producer Julie Gayet (Raw); actress Anna Friel (Marcella); stunt performer and intimacy coordinator Teniece Divya Johnson (Succession); Director Phyllida Lloyd (The Iron Lady); Journalist and author Terri White; Director Sarah Gavron (Rocks); actress Jasmine Trinca (La Dea Fortuna); Writer Abi Morgan (Suffragette); Director and Actress Tamara Yazbek Bernal (After Lucia); journalist Chiara Tronville; Promundo CEO Gary Barker; Kering Foundation Executive Director Céline Bonnaire; and UK Says No More Partnership Manager Sarah D’Angelis.

“I’m honoured to be a jury member for this year’s 16 Days 16 Films initiative which uses film to increase awareness about gender-based violence and empowers women’s voices internationally.” – Barbara Broccoli, Film Producer 

 

This year’s 16 DAYS 16 FILMS finalists are: 

“We received such a wide selection of fantastic films this year and the final 16 films showcase the urgency within which the world needs to take action when it comes to the issues of gender-based violence. We are proud to provide a platform that champions female-identifying filmmakers, where these womxn can share stories that we hope will create a dialogue push for change.  - Johanna von Fischer and Ginta Gelvan, Producers 16 Days 16 Films.

“The strength of the initiative 16 Days 16 Films is that it brings together films that speak to all of us, demonstrating the many forms that violence against women can take. It also highlights the incredible resilience of survivors. As we witness the devastating effects and consequences of the global COVID pandemic, particularly on women, it is even more urgent to take action: Watch the films, spread the word and find out what kind of support local organizations combating violence against women need.” – Céline Bonnaire, Executive Director Kering Foundation

16 Days 16 Films was launched in 2018 by female-led UK film production and distribution company, Modern Films, in association with UK Says No More. For more information please visit 16days16films.com 

 

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For further press information please contact:

For Modern Films
ORGANIC: Tiffany Kizito/ Julia Nowicka 
16Days16Films@organic-publicity.co.uk

 

For Kering Foundation
Juliette Jacovidis +33 (0)6 48 49 83 15 - juliette.jacovidis@jaycommunication.com
 

 

About Modern Films
Modern Films is a London-based, female-led film production, distribution and event cinema agency. Established by Eve Gabereau in 2017 with a mandate to work on stories that address social issues head-on through film and media content, they launched with the Event Cinema release of Manifesto starring Cate Blanchett and with Executive Production on the BAFTA-winning I am Not a Witch. They focus on A-list festival competitors, critically acclaimed titles and international award winners. 

Highlights of their slate include Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro, Iciar Bollain’s Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story, documentary Shooting the Mafia by Kim Longinotto. Their 2020 slate includes Werner Herzog's Family Romance, LLC, Viggo Mortensen's The Falling and a slate of films directed by women including; THE PERFECT CANDIDATE by Haifaa al Mansour, WHITE RIOT about the Rock Against Racsim movement in the 70s, LUXOR by Zeina Durra and starring Andrea Riseborough, RAISE HELL: THE LIFE & TIMES OF MOLLLY IVINS and BEYOND THE VISIBLE by Halina Dyrschka about the artist Hilma af Klint. Modern Films also recently produced I STILL BREATHE directed by Alfred George Bailey.

 

For more information please visit modernfilms.com

 

About the Kering Foundation
Worldwide, 1 in 3 women is or will be a victim of violence during her lifetime. Since 2008, the Kering Foundation combats this violence that affects all cultures and all social classes. To maximize its impact, the Foundation works hand in hand with a limited number of local partners in the three main regions where the Group operates: the American continent, Western Europe and Asia. 

The Foundation supports local survivor-centered organizations that provide comprehensive services to women, and works with younger generations, particularly young men and boys, to combat violence against women through prevention programs. The Foundation also seeks to change behaviors within Kering and in society in general. It offers training sessions on domestic violence for Kering employees and created, in 2018, alongside the FACE Foundation, “One in Three Women”, the first European network of companies engaged against gender-based violence.  
    
For more information please visit keringfoundation.org

 

About Kering
A global Luxury group, Kering manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods, Jewelry and Watches: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, DoDo, Qeelin, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, as well as Kering Eyewear. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrow’s Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: “Empowering Imagination”. In 2019, Kering had nearly 38,000 employees and revenue of €15.9 billion.

For more information please visit kering.com

 

About UK Says No More
UK SAYS NO MORE is a national campaign launched in early 2016 with the aim to raise awareness of domestic abuse and sexual violence across the UK. UK SAYS NO MORE unites and strengthens a diverse community of members under one powerful, visual symbol, and provides open-source tools, information and resources for individuals and organisations to get involved. Together, we are challenging the myths and misconceptions around domestic abuse and sexual violence, sharing resources and information and ultimately working together to make real positive social change. 

For more information please visit uksaysnomore.org

 

About En avant toute(s)
En avant toute(s) is an organization working for gender equality and the end of gender-based violence, by fighting stereotypes and supporting survivors. This innovative organization created the first chat room in France, available on commentonsaime.fr, focused on responding to the needs of young people who are questioning their romantic relationships and the violence they may be experiencing in it. 

For more information please visit enavanttoutes.fr

 

About Chayn Italia
Chayn Italia is an open source platform that addresses gender-based violence by providing clear and comprehensive tools, information and support to women survivors and those who are close to them. 

For more information please visit chaynitalia.org

 

About The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)
The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as a leading national voice for victims of domestic violence and their allies. NNEDV’s membership includes all 56 state and territorial coalitions against domestic violence in the United States, representing more than 2,000 local programs. NNEDV has been advancing the movement against domestic violence for more than 30 years, having led efforts among domestic violence advocates and survivors in urging Congress to pass the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. 

 

To learn more about NNEDV, please visit NNEDV.org.

 

About Fondo Semillas
Fondo Semillas provides economic resources, training and support to women's groups working for gender equality throughout the country. Over 30 years, it has financed 526 organizations, supporting more than 779,018 women and indirectly benefiting 2.9 million more people. In 2011, Fondo Semillas was recognized by the MacArthur Foundation's Award for Creative and Effective Organizations and in 2012 it received the Hermila Galindo Award from the Mexico City Human Rights Commission. 

 

For more information please visit semillas.org.

 

About 16 Days of Activism
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence is an annual campaign, which has run since 1991, and has 164 countries and 3,700 organisations involved. It uses the 16 days between International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25th November) and International Human Rights Day (10th December) to reinforce that eliminating all forms of violence against women is a human rights issue, and that the act of perpetrating violence against women is a human rights violation.