From the moment guests stepped onto Barnard’s campus for the 15th annual Athena Film Festival, they were immersed in a celebration of bold storytelling, fierce creativity, and the unstoppable power of women in film. The festival’s mission — to amplify women’s voices and tell women’s stories in their full complexity — was on full display at the three-day event.
Through a carefully curated program of documentaries, narrative features, and shorts, the festival continued to honor groundbreaking cinematic achievements that amplified gender, inclusion, and diverse representation in the industry. Held from March 6 to March 9 on Barnard’s campus, this premier showcase for the diverse cinematic work of women — a partnership between Barnard College and the initiative Women and Hollywood, supported by founding sponsor the Artemis Rising Foundation and its CEO, Regina K. Scully — celebrated women-centered stories and championed both established and emerging filmmakers. The festival brought together donors old and new, who demonstrated their long-standing commitment to uplift women who use storytelling to change the world.
"The Athena Film Festival is a cornerstone piece of Athena Center programming that provides an essential sense of community and hope,” said Umbreen Bhatti ’00, the Constance Hess Williams ’66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership. “I am so proud that we are always a space of proactivity — not reactivity. In our 15th year, we brought together our tireless staff, brilliant filmmakers, and dedicated community members [and] were able to create a space that felt abundant in every way. We are proud to continue building a platform that boldly champions women-centered stories in all their depth and diversity.”
Upon entering, attendees were met with a colorful display of posters from every past festival — creating a visual timeline of AFF’s evolution as the premier film festival dedicated to elevating women’s leadership and advancing inclusion on screen. They were encouraged to mark the years they attended with stickers, creating a vibrant record of the festival’s growing community. Near the entrance, a blue phone invited guests to leave messages about what the festival meant to them — snippets of gratitude, memories, and hopes for the future.
The celebration offered the community a moment to reflect on the impact of the festival’s generous awards, which provide direct support to filmmakers bringing women-centered stories to life to further their projects. By nurturing emerging talent through year-round creative development programs designed to empower young advocates and storytellers to be unafraid, AFF continues to expand its reach.
“I’m so proud to support this important work,” said Lida Orzeck ’68, a longtime AFF supporter and member of the Athena Leadership Council. “At a time when we all need spaces to gather and [to] build community, the festival provides just that. I’m honored to be here.”
This year’s Opening Night selection was the documentary Satisfied, which follows Tony Award-winner Renée Elise Goldsberry’s struggle to balance family and career while bringing to life the role of Angelica in the mega-hit musical Hamilton. Goldsberry and the film’s co-director Melissa Haizlip spoke on the process of making the film in a post-screening discussion.
Following the screening of Athena List winner Lilly, a lively party was hosted at the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being, bringing together filmmakers, supporters, staff, volunteers, and students who have played instrumental roles in the festival’s development over the years.
We are proud to continue building a platform that boldly champions women-centered stories in all their depth and diversity.
After a full weekend of documentaries and narrative features, the festival concluded with the Closing Night film, Home Court. The documentary follows Ashley Chea, a young Cambodian American basketball player in Los Angeles, as she navigates her high school sports career and an injury, a close and inspiring relationship with her coach, and the struggle to bridge the gap between her American childhood and the experiences of her Cambodian parents. Chea, who now plays women’s basketball for Princeton, joined her team on the hour-and-a-half-long bus journey to attend and support the festival.
“I’ve met so many girls who I have looked up to, and they are my role models,” said Chea, in conversation with Princeton head coach Carla Berube, director Erica Tanamachi, and moderator Pamela Wheeler after the screening. “I just pushed every single day, and I’ve met amazing people that brought me here. I’m inspired by every girl in this room right now.”
“It was incredibly special to spend this festival surrounded by friends, filmmakers, sponsors, supporters, and so many people that share our commitment to advancing a new narrative around all that women can be and do,” said Victoria Lesourd, the Athena Center’s chief of staff. “Whether they joined in person or virtually, donated their time, talent, and/or resources, we were so grateful for everyone’s participation. Athena is an incredibly special experience, and that is only because of the people that make up our community.”
