In April 1998 the International Festival Films de Femmes celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Since its beginning, back in 1978, the festival’s main aim was to “…promote films directed by women on subjects of their choice, and to allow for a better understanding of the situation and evolution of women and their cinema in each country represented”. The Créteil-based Films de Femmes is unquestionably one of the most important festivals of women’s film in the world.
Each year, besides the competitive sections (for features, shorts and documentaries) their rich and multi-faceted programme includes a tribute to the career of an actress (in the zear 1998 the guest of honour was Hanna Schygulla), retrospectives (the 1998 festival focused on African cinema, and highlighted the work of the Senegalese director Safi Faye), a series of forums, and a panorama of new French cinema.
The festival director Jackie Buet presented her festival at the City of Women. She selected three feature films to represent the festival, each directed by the latest generation of French filmmakers. She talked of the festival and its achievements, and about the major significance of women in French cinema.
In short, this special programme offers a unique opportunity to discover films made by female directors in France and elsewhere which, unfortunately, have all too often been neglected.
