This year’s 16 DAYS 16 FILMS finalists are:
…ESPERANZA (Mexico) – Mayra Veliz
An elderly woman narrates how she was deceived, robbed and forced to marry her captor at the age of 19 and how, many years later, she found her freedom. (21 mins)
A VERY NICE GUY (Mexico) – Minerva R. Bolaños
Rodrigo Fierro, a renowned film director, is accused of rape on social media by a woman who was a member of his crew. Seeing that his future may be in danger due to the complaint, he makes a documentary to tell his version of events, trying to prove his innocence. (21 mins)
AFTER FRED (UK) – Rachel Meyrick
Charlotta’s violent marriage was brought to an abrupt end after 40 years when a shop assistant witnessed her being attacked and called it out. Two years on she is free and, aged 82, is blossoming as a warrior advocate, supporting women decades younger than her to face the court system after making their own escapes from domestic violence. (20 mins)
BARRICADE (UK) Alice Johannessen
After experiencing a traumatic event on her school bus, Aleena bottles up her anger until a chance connection triggers a small act of rebellion. (10 mins)
BLACKWOOL (UK) Eubha Akilade
On her first day at a high school in rural Scotland, a London teenager is targeted for her Afro hair by cocksure class bully and must harness her inner power. (15 mins)
CERES (UK) – Amelia Sears
The story of a daughter seeking refuge from her emotionally abusive partner at the home of her estranged mother. Stars Juliet Stevenson. (15 mins)
DANDELION (Mexico) – Lorena R. Valencia
Ingrid, a teenage girl who lives in a small town in Mexico, is helped by her best friend in her search for home remedies to stop an unwanted pregnancy, undeterred by the health risks that she may face. (17 mins)
HER LAST DAY (USA) – Jiacheng Wang
A woman “Meizi” with her child who has lived in domestic violence for years travels back to her past wedding with her abusive husband while facing the decision to change her marriage. (13 mins)
HOMEMAKER (UK) – Ciara Kerr
Renee loses herself in a controlling relationship and the abuse she suffers gets worse until she is utterly trapped. (9 mins)
MOSQUITO DAY (USA) – Kristine Gerolaga
Fearing the consequences of revealing her pregnancy to her parents and facing limited options amidst increasingly restrictive abortion regulations, a teenager turns to a neighbor her parents warned her about in her desperation for assistance. This decision sets off a chain of events with horrifying consequences. (14 mins)
MY BLONDE GF (UK) – Rosie Morris
An awful discovery turns Helen’s life upside down. Sexually explicit deepfake images appear on a porn site, with her own face edited onto another woman’s body. (19 mins)
SMILE (UK) – Jo Smyth
Smile is about Sue, a woman in her fifties who has to navigate the murky world of misogyny and everyday sexism, and how she fights back. (14 mins)
STILL WATERS (USA) – Aurora Brachman
Aurora Brachman’s touching short features her mother as she shares an unexpected and difficult moment in her childhood. (12 mins)
TÃM (Australia) – Noora Niasari
Tâm wakes up in a strange hotel room. As she pieces together the night before, she realizes she is not alone. (12 mins)
THE SKY AFTER RAIN (Australia) – Blame the Shadows Collective
The story of Shaya. a queer member of the Iranian diaspora told through recorded audio interviews, spoken word poetry, and choreographed dance.
WINN (USA) – Erica Tanamachi & Joseph East
After miscarrying her baby in prison due to shackling, Pamela Winn becomes an activist, leading thousands to support the Dignity Bill. “Winn” exposes the horrifying experience that incarcerated pregnant women endure and documents Pamela’s mission to end shackling and ultimately prison birth. (17 mins)
16 Days 16 Films was launched in 2018 in partnership with female-led UK film production and distribution company, Modern Films, and UK Says No More.
