The first Nevada Women’s Film Festival, March 14, 2015. Photo by Richard Faverty.
Why Do We Need Women’s Film Festivals?
In April 2021, Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color to win the Oscar for Best Director in the 93-years of the Academy Awards. She was only the second woman ever to achieve this honor.
More good news followed, with 2023 bringing particularly impressive strides for women filmmakers. We also celebrate Autumn Durald Arkapaw, who broke the glass ceiling in 2026 as the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. These milestones are significant, but recent statistics remind us that progress is far from secure.
As NWFFest board member May May Luong points out in Arts & Culture Las Vegas:
According to the Hollywood Diversity Report 2026, published by the UCLA Entertainment & Media Research Initiative, women lost ground relative to their male counterparts in three of the four key theatrical film employment categories in 2025 (leads, directors, and total actors), while gaining ground only among writers. The report notes that women’s progress in the theatrical film sector has effectively been set back to 2022 levels, and in the category of directors, the figures are comparable to 2018.
The message is clear: while these achievements are encouraging, chronic underrepresentation of women and people of color persists in the industry. The need for festivals such as ours remains, and so does the enthusiasm for the work we do.
Our Story
We discovered this enthusiasm in 2014. What began as an idea for a student club event at a local college transformed into a fully realized film festival when we received 730 submissions from around the world. Nevada Women’s Film Festival was born in March 2015 in honor of Women’s History Month, and we’ve never looked back! The festival has taken place every year since, including our two online editions in 2020 and 2021.
Over the years, NWFFest has been deeply involved in the conversation about equity and inclusion by creating a space that elevates the perspectives of women and underrepresented groups. Yet even with the years of consciousness-raising and the industry’s slow awakening to its failures, we know there is still much progress to be made.
Our Programming
At NWFFest, our mission is to celebrate and support the fair representation of women in film, and to provide a platform for historically underrepresented voices. We showcase films with a strong and diverse female presence, women at the helm, and stories that depict a variety of worldviews, backgrounds and experiences.
Our programming does include films not directed by women, but they must feature compelling, complex female characters or subjects (positive representation). Think of the tried-and-true Bechdel Test. What was the last movie you’ve seen? With any luck, it may have featured one or two strong female leads (superheroes not required). But to pass the test, a work of fiction must have:
Bechdel Test
TWO FEMALE CHARACTERS;
(with names)
WHO TALK TO EACH OTHER;
(conversations)
As we know, incredibly, very few films can pass this simple test. Most of us have grown up in a society where this imbalance is the historical norm, and we are desensitized to it. This discrimination is deep-seated and systemic, especially for women of color and the LGBTQ+ community.
At Nevada Women’s Film Festival
Despite the challenges, women of all backgrounds continue to make compelling films.
We believe that change begins with awareness. At NWFFest, we come together each year to be entertained, inspired and enlightened by some of the most talented and creative women in the world.
Please celebrate with us and join the conversation. We hope to see you in March!
Nevada Women’s Film Festival is a project of Women in Film (WIF) Nevada, a proud chapter of Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI).
WIF Nevada is a 501(c)(3) organization.