The Nevada Women’s Film Festival Represents Female Filmmakers, But it’s Meant for Everyone

The Academy Awards have existed since May 1929. In that time, only three women have won the Oscar for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for 2008’s The Hurt Locker, Chloe Zhao for 2020’s Nomadland and Jane Campion for 2021’s The Power of the Dog. That’s three out of 95 Best Director trophies awarded to women—and all of them given only within the past 15 years.

The Nevada Women’s Film Festival (NWFFest), now in its ninth year, projects a bright and defining light on the mainstream film industry’s slow walk to inclusivity and representation. But more than that, the four-day fest—running June 22-25 at UNLV’s Department of Film—illuminates the many creative possibilities for women to work both in front of and behind the camera.