Women behind the camera star in the eighth annual Women in Film Festival 2026 at the M.V. Film Center, Oct. 16 to 18. “It was obvious that the films that were being released in the U.S. were predominantly being produced by men,” says M.V. Film Society founder and executive director Richard Paradise. “I felt we could put a festival together focused on films with directors, producers, and writers to provide an opportunity for them to shine.”
Given the latest statistics, the festival feels just as urgent. A Jan. 1 Los Angeles Times article noted that in 2025, women made up just 13 percent of directors working on the top 250 films.
Paradise collaborated with Film Fatales, a nonprofit arts organization and membership community that supports feature film and television directors of all marginalized genders. They suggested a roster of possible candidates; the final selection offers enticing fare. An added treat is hearing four of the directors speak about their experiences after the screenings.
If you are of a certain age, and maybe even if you’re not, you’re likely familiar with Twiggy, the iconic 1960s and ’70s English supermodel, actress, and cultural figure who epitomized an era. Sadie Frost’s documentary, simply titled “Twiggy,” opens the festival on Friday, Oct. 16, at 4 pm. It charts Twiggy’s (now Dame Lesley Lawson) rise from a working-class London childhood to global fame and knighthood, with rare archival footage and interviews with Paul McCartney, Dustin Hoffman, Brooke Shields, and others. Paradise says, “Twiggy was last century’s ‘It girl.’ She had major international recognition, not just as a model but as a fashion icon and an advocate for women’s rights. She also personifies the celebration of women that the festival holds dear.”
“Aria: Opera on the Edge” is up next on Oct. 16, at 7:30 pm, followed by a Q and A with director Karen Day. The 93-minute documentary proves opera isn’t dead — it endures and keeps evolving. “Aria” highlights opera’s physical and emotional demands by diving into the personal and professional lives of diverse, emerging singers as they break traditional barriers and challenge the stereotype that opera is a dull or inaccessible art form.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, at 5 pm is “Cookie Queens.” This delightful documentary by Alysa Nahmias offers adventure, sisterhood, and a coming-of-age story. It follows four Girl Scouts, ages 5 to 12, over one cookie season as they tenaciously pursue their goal of becoming the top sellers while keeping their humanity and heart. “I thought of it for the Women’s Film Festival because it’s about young girls by a woman director. But it’s also part of American lore,” Paradise explains.
The quirky drama “Bird in Hand” screens Saturday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 pm, followed by a Q&A with director Melody C. Roscher. Bird, a young bride-to-be with an ulterior motive, returns to her hometown and uses her wedding plans to manipulate everyone in her orbit — including her quirky, temperamental mother and odd neighbors with an interesting agenda of their own. As tensions rise, truths and buried feelings are revealed.
Four film shorts by women directors screen on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 pm. Paradise notes that Claudia Rosel and Nicola Sitch’s “Stop Counting” was filmed in part on Martha’s Vineyard. It follows Chris O’Sullivan, a solitary retired researcher with terminal cancer, as she prepares to dance onstage in New York City. In the months leading up to the performance, she rehearses with a group of older dancers, plans her funeral on Martha’s Vineyard, joins protests, and confronts the limits of a body that refuses to stand still. “Stop Counting” is also a portrait of a community of older dancers who have found connection, purpose, and freedom through movement. Against the backdrop of a growing epidemic of loneliness among older adults, the film explores what it means to keep choosing life as time runs out.
On Sunday, Oct. 18, at 4 pm, the smart, acerbic comedy-drama “Magic Hour” is followed by a Q and A with director Jacqueline Christy. Harriet, a once promising filmmaker, is stuck in the New Jersey suburbs. Losing her cheating husband, spurned by her sassy teenage daughter, and demoted at work, she secretly enrolls in film school to revive her long-lost dream from 22 years ago. After hearing her husband tell her, “Your spark is gone,” Harriet faces her demons and takes the bull by the horns. While she wants to make films to escape reality, her teacher promises, “If you make a film, you will have a reckoning with the truth whether you want one or not.”
“One Day in Sedona” closes the festival on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 pm, with director Monique Sorgen joining for a Q&A afterward. The film explores what happens after “happily ever after.” Two strangers meet in Sedona. Julie has just lost her father, and Will is recently divorced and struggling to connect with his teenage daughter. Kindred spirits, they talk about civil rights, social justice, and spirituality, and explore life’s purpose. Through a twist of fate, it seems it’s never too late to begin anew.
Paradise reflects on what he hopes audiences will walk away with: “First and foremost, that they’re entertained whether it’s a documentary or narrative. And that they enjoy the engagement with the filmmakers who will be joining us to gain insight into the industry where, to this day, women are still underrepresented.”
For more information, visit mvfilmsociety.com/women-in-film-festival/.
