Women Over 50 Film Festival/ Longing, belonging, lost at HOME
Tom Grieve, Cinema EditorBook now
Women Over 50 Film Festival/ Longing, belonging, lost +Q&A
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Women Over 50 Film Festival arrives at HOME with a programme of short films celebrating older women on both sides of the camera. Scheduled across the evening of Tuesday 12 August, the selection of films are are themed with the title “Longing, belonging, lost” and explore ideas of roles that transition with ageing.
Whether it be professionally, amongst friends, a position within a family, or even a relationship, the shorts show how women’s roles change with age, sometimes leaving them pushed aside. The festival aims to challenge the ageism and sexism of broader society and the film industry, both through the subject matter of the work, and by spotlighting work by women over 50.
Leah Rustomjee’s The Granny Grommets takes a look at a group of over 50s women who are taking to the waves, dodging sharks and the worries of younger family members, as newbie surfers in Western Australia. In Trinidad Remains, British-born Nikki Hastings accompanies her free-wheeling cousin on a trip to Trinidad to scatter the ashes of her estranged grandmother. While Red Sky at Night follows a century-old vampire ready to fly the nest for university, leaving behind a mother struggling with the idea of an empty nest.
There are six films on show in total, including My Week with Maisy, Dead Air and Follow the Dogs in addition to those mentioned above. Plus, there is also a planned Q&A with the filmmakers behind Red Sky at Night, including director Kieran Stringfellow, producer Tasha Williams and lead actor Olwen May.
