By Renée Santos
There’s something special about a film festival that continues to make room for women’s voices, bold storytelling, and independent filmmakers year after year. On Sunday, October 25, the LA Femme International Film Festival wrapped its 22nd year with a closing-night awards celebration at Hollywood’s Harmony Gold Theater, bringing together filmmakers, actors, industry professionals, and supporters for an evening honoring the artists creating stories that deserve to be seen.
Founded by Leslie LaPage, LA Femme began with a simple but powerful idea: women needed more opportunities to tell their stories from behind the camera. LaPage has shared that the idea came to her in 2004, while attending Sundance and noticing how few films directed by women were represented. Rather than simply accept the imbalance, she decided to create something of her own. The festival launched in 2005, with a mission to champion women writers, directors, and producers and help connect their work with audiences and industry opportunities.
More than two decades later, that original vision continues to shape LA Femme. The festival has grown into an international platform celebrating women filmmakers across genres and formats, offering screenings, educational programming, networking opportunities, and a community where emerging artists and established professionals can connect. LaPage’s experience as a producer, director, and film industry professional makes that commitment especially meaningful. Having worked across multiple areas of production, she understands both the creative process and the persistence it takes to bring a project from an idea to the screen.
This year’s festival featured a wide-ranging program of narrative features, documentaries, shorts, music videos, and more. From intimate personal stories to ambitious creative projects, the selection reflected the many ways women are shaping the future of film and television.
The closing-night ceremony was hosted by Sandra Valls, whose experience across comedy, acting, music, and theater brought a distinctive personality to the celebration. Most recently, Valls fulfilled a longtime dream with her Broadway debut in Real Women Have Curves: The Musical at age 59, playing Prima Fulvia, a character she helped develop.
Her achievement offered an inspiring reminder that creative milestones don’t always happen on a predictable timeline. After years of pursuing opportunities across multiple disciplines, Valls reached a new professional chapter on Broadway, demonstrating the value of perseverance and continuing to make room for one’s ambitions. Her presence added a personal touch to an evening celebrating women who are carving out their own paths in the entertainment industry.
The awards recognized an impressive range of work across genres. Among the winners were Ex Wives of Hollywood for Best Webisode, Los Chucos Suaves for Best Music Video, Urinal Revolution for Best Short, and Game Girls for Best Documentary. Noxturne took home Best Feature, while The Cleopatra Project was recognized for Best Screenplay.
Additional honors included Best Animated Short, Sana LEE’s Sajupalja, Best TV Pilot Script for Maddy Silks, and Best Special Focus Documentary for Horn Maker.
The evening also recognized artists whose impact extends beyond an individual film or performance. Mena Suvari received the Humanitarian Award, while Rachel Feldman was honored with the Visionary Award. Director Catherine Hardwicke received the Best Director award for Street Smart, adding another notable moment to a night celebrating filmmakers who bring their own vision, perspective, and creative courage to the screen.
What makes LA Femme meaningful is not simply the awards themselves, but the community that forms around the work. Independent filmmaking requires persistence, collaboration, and an extraordinary willingness to keep telling stories, even when the path forward isn’t always clear. Festivals like this create opportunities for artists to find their audiences, develop professional relationships, and feel less alone in an industry that can be challenging to navigate.
As LA Femme looks toward its next chapter, LaPage deserves recognition for the vision and determination it has taken to sustain this platform for 22 years. Building a festival is one accomplishment; continuing to nurture a community, create opportunities, and champion new voices year after year is another.
The closing-night celebration reflected the many ways women continue to shape the entertainment industry, whether through directing, writing, producing, performing, or creating opportunities for the next generation of storytellers. From LaPage’s enduring commitment to providing a platform for women filmmakers to the diverse work recognized throughout the evening, the festival underscored the importance of keeping those opportunities alive.
Congratulations to this year’s winners, honorees, and participating filmmakers, and to Leslie LaPage for continuing to create a space where women’s stories and creative ambitions are celebrated. Here’s to the next chapter of LA Femme.
