Tired of seeing one-dimensional ‘feisty, kick-ass, strong female characters’ as a misguided response to the damsel in distress cliché? To tie in with this year’s focus on female representation in film, this programme aims to draw on the depth, insight and creativity of the short film form to react to this trend as we celebrate a variety of fascinating and multi-faceted female characters reflecting the intricacies of being human.

Unrestrained by stereotypes and caught at different moments in their life, we believe that these compelling women are convincing examples of female representation on screen. The debate is open.

The short films in this programme are:

• A World For Her
  UK, 18m 20s Dir: Carolina Petro
• Lullaby of the Butterfly
  Cyprus, 19m 54s Dir: Tonia Mishiali
• Bandage
  Finland, 8m 10s Dir: Tuija Halttunen
• Valentina
  Israel, 15m 58s Dir: Dan Kastoriano
• Blue-eyed Blonde
  Canada, 17m 1s Dir: Pascal Plante
• Couple Time
  UK, 5m 33s Dir: Selina Robertson

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