At Salem Film Fest 2013 (March 7 to 14 in Salem, Massachusetts), the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) has presented EDA Awards to two superb films directed by women. Read more>>

The 2012 EDA Awards received monumental media recognition, with coverage in Time, Variety, USA Today, Thompson On Hollywood, Movie City News and dozens of other esteemed journals and blogs. With sincerest thanks to all, here’s a sampling of the media coverage we’ve received.

Here’s a cheat sheet for the roster of female directors who should have made the 2013 list of Oscar nominations, starting with Kathryn Bigelow, whose latest military film is clouded by controversy over its depiction of torture. Read more>>

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists is delighted to reveal the winners of its 7th Annual EDA Awards. Starting with Best Film, “Zero Dark Thirty” swept the AWFJ EDA “Best of” categories with five awards, took another two in the female-centric EDA Focus Awards, and earned its eighth win in the EDA Special Mention section. See the full list of winners.

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists is delighted to announce the nominees for the 2012 AWFJ EDA Awards. The winners will be announced on January 7, 2013. Meanwhile, we hope you’ll enjoy all the fine films on our list of nominees, and enjoy our unusual categories, including most memorable moments, best nudity or seduction and actress most in need of a new agent. Read on…

Set in the near future, this sly, fanciful story revolves around Frank Weld (Frank Langella), an irascible, retired jewel thief, who is divorced and living alone in the old family house in rural Cold Spring, New York. The place is a slovenly mess and Frank’s memory is obviously failing, which greatly concerns his grown children: exasperated Hunter (James Marsden) and peripatetic Madison (Liv Tyler) with whom he communicates via an advanced version of Skype. Read more

In “Meet The Fokkens,” Dutch filmmakers Gabrielle Provaas and Rob Schroder profile the Fokkens twins, Louise and Martine, 69-year-old twins who’ve been working as prostitutes in Amsterdam’s red-light district for some 50 years. Their story is a good one, and so is the film. Read more>>

AWFJ is honored to have presented two EDA Awards at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012.

The first EDA Award declared Debra Zimmerman to be “Ambassador of Women’s Film,” a title bestowed in recognition of her tireless efforts and tremendous success as the force of nature behind Women Make Movies, which has promoted women filmmakers and their work for 40 years

The AWFJ EDA Award for Best Female-Directed Film went to Going Up The Stairs, directed by Rokhsareh Gaeme Maghami. According to the AWFJ Jury (comprised of AWFJ members Linda Barnard, Nikki Baughan, MaryAnn Johanson, Karen Krizanovich and Jennifer Merin), the film is about a “most unlikely artist, a 50 year old illiterate Iranian woman who is consumed by her need to create, but has also embraced her role in a traditional marriage to an older man who controls her destiny. Her creativity bursts forth, as though it has a will of its own. and she simply can’t stop painting. Akram’s riotous, colourful, primative canvasses - and her endearing personality - reach out to the viewer and grab hold. We present this year’s EDA Award to GOING UP THE STAIRS. Bravo to director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami and your wonderful leading lady, Akram.”

Unfortunately, Rokhsareh Gaeme Maghami was not able to attend the ceremony because approval of her visa was delayed by the British embassy in Warsaw, Poland. But she did send a moving acceptance message: “Repeating the phrase ‘the best female directed’ makes me feel better…. I wish the world could be directed in a female way. If it was so, governments wouldn’t go for a war. I don’t think that embassies would take revenge on artists because of politics. I am sure that artists needn’t to prove that they are rich or married to travel abroad for a festival. They wouldn’t hear ’sorry, we cannot make a decision’ when they are nominated for an award. Yes, repeating ‘the best femaled directed’ makes me feel better. I am so proud of it. Thank you, Sheffield Doc/Fest staff and AWFJ.”

Going Up The Stairs was among six finalists in competition for the EDA Award. Others included Call Me Kuchu (Directed by Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax-Wright), Indie Game: The Movie (Directed by Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky), Putin’s Kiss (Directed by Lise Birk Pedersen), Scarlet Road (Directed by Catherine Scott), and The Tsunami and The Cherry Blossom (Directed by Lucy Walker).

All female-directed films screening at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012 were eligible for the award. The finalists were selected by the jury after they’d viewed all screeners submitted for consideration.

The Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012 awards are the second set of EDA Awards presented at film festivals this year. The first presentation was at Salem Film Fest in March. Awards partnerships with other film festivals — both narrarive and documentary — are in the works. Please stay tumed for developments. Meanwhile, complete coverage of the awards at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012 can be found here

(PHOTO: Jennifer Merin, Heather Croall, MaryAnn Johanson at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2012 Awards Ceremony. Courtesy: Sheffield Doc/Fest).

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is pleased to announce that the winner of our juried EDA Award for the Best Female-Directed Film at the 2012 Salem Film Fest is WISH ME AWAY, directed by Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf.

AWFJ also presented a special award for Synthesis of Theme and Form to ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT, directed by Vivian Ducat.

The jury for the EDA Awards presented at Salem Film Fest 2012 included AWFJ members Cynthia Fuchs (Popmatters.com), Jennifer Merin (Documentaries.About.com and Womens eNews), Erin Trahan (The Independent), Susan Wloszczyna (USA Today) and Jeanne Wolf (JeanneWolfsHollywood.com and PARADE Magazine).

All jurors participated in the nominating process, selecting from all female-directed films programmed at the festival, the five following titles as EDA Award nominees:

•ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT - Director: Vivian Ducat
•IN HEAVEN, UNDERGROUND - Drector: Britta Wauer
•SKYDANCER - Director: Katja Esson
•WE STILL LIVE HERE: AS NUTAYUNEAN - Director: Anne Makepeace
•WISH ME AWAY - Directors: Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf

The EDA Award winner was announced and the award certificate was presented on Saturday March 3, at 1:30 pm, during an AWFJ-facilitated panel discussion about “How does media cover documentary film?.”

Salem Film Fest 2012 took place from March 1-8, 2012, in Salem, MA.

AWFJ commends Salem Film Fest selection committee for its high ratio of female-directed films and for helping to facilitate this award process. AWFJ thanks the qualifying filmmakers and distributors for submitting their films for consideration, and our jury members for their participation in presenting this AWFJ EDA Award.

March brings a solid parade of female-directed and woman-centered films, from romances to family dramas to the high-octane thriller ‘Silent House.’ For serial escape, see them all.
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