Athena Film Festival

The Athena Film Festival at Barnard College celebrates extraordinary films from across the globe that tell the stories of fierce and fearless women leaders.

At Athena, leadership takes no singular form. Our films tell the stories of women whose leadership has been questioned, dismissed or erased. Women who have risen up and spoken truth to power. Women who empower their communities. Women who inspire and educate. These are the stories we want to see. These are Athena stories. The 15th anniversary festival will take place March 6 - March 9, 2025.

The curated program includes Academy Award nominated films, award winning features and documentaries, NY premieres, shorts, and so much more. We continue important conversations offscreen by pairing our films with Q&A’s, panels and talk-backs, workshops, receptions, and events put on for our community.

The festival is a project of the Athena Center for Leadership at Barnard College and Women and Hollywood. The Artemis Rising Foundation and its CEO, Regina K. Scully, are the festival's founding sponsors.