The High Falls Film Festival, founded in 2001, is a film festival that focuses on celebrating women in film. The festival is inspired by

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, New York's legacy in nitrate film and the women’s rights movement. High Falls Film Festival presents multiple features, documentaries, and shorts, including a children's program and student-filmmaker program. The festival includes emerging and established female talent, with past guests including actresses

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...

Christine Lahti Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...

, Angela Bassett,

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 19 ...

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also kno ...

Joan Allen Joan Allen (born August 20, 1956) is an American actress. She began her career with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1977, won the 1984 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Play for '' And a Nightingale Sang'', and won the 1988 Tony Aw ...

Famke Janssen Famke Beumer Janssen (; born ) is a Dutch actress. She played Xenia Onatopp in '' GoldenEye'' (1995), Jean Grey / Phoenix in the ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2014), and Lenore Mills in the ''Taken'' film trilogy (2008–2014). In 2008, she ...

, and

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,Gallagher, Michael Aaron (May 30, 2009
2009 Rochester High Falls International Film Festival honors ground-breaking pioneers
. Retrieved 05-30-2009. and voice-over actress

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. The festival is held in Rochester's East End entertainment district. The festival aligned with the

Rochester International Film Festival Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in Wes ...

in 2007 and with George Eastman House in 2009 under the name George Eastman House 360 , 365 Film Festival. The festival took a hiatus in 2012 and returned in 2013.

Awards

The Susan B. Anthony "Failure is Impossible" Award
Honors a woman in the film industry who has persevered in her career and triumphed over difficulties. * 2001: Pam Grier, actress * 2002: Lainie Kazan, actress * 2003: Candice Bergen, actress * 2004: Sally Kellerman, actress * 2005: Angela Bassett, actress * 2006: Agnieszka Holland, director * 2008: Rita Moreno, actress * 2009: Lynn Redgrave and C.C.H. Pounder, actresses * 2010: Thelma Schoonmaker, editor * 2011: Julie Taymor, filmmaker The Golden Lens Award for Cinematography
Honors a person who has made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of cinematography. * 2011: Buddy Squires The Rochester Film Legacy Award
Honors a filmmaker or film supporter based in the Rochester area whose passion and dedication embodies Rochester’s proud film legacy. * 2011: Brock Yates * 2015: Marilyn O'Connor * 2016: June Foster The Faith Hubley "Web of Life" Award
Named after its first recipient, honors a woman who understands the power of art in connecting with an audience and in making the world a better place. * 2001: Faith Hubley, animator * 2002: Nancy Cartwright, voice actor * 2003: Jeannie Epper, stuntwoman * 2004: Mira Nair, filmmaker * 2005: Jane Alexander, actor The Elizabeth Cady Stanton "Thorn in the Side" Award
Honors women who exemplify the collaborative nature of film and video. The award is named in honor of Stanton, who said: "If there is one part of my life which gives me more intense satisfaction than another, it is my friendship with Susan B. Anthony... we have indeed been thorns in the side of each other..." * 2006: Stella Pence, (retired) Co-Director, Telluride Film Festival * 2008: Estela Bravo, director * 2009:

Debra Zimmerman Debra Zimmerman is an American film distributor and lecturer. She has been the Executive Director non-profit media arts organization Women Make Movies since 1983. Life and career Zimmerman was born in New York City. In the late 1970s she worked ...

Audience Choice Awardees
Festival audiences chose Best Feature, Best Documentary and Best Short. Past Audience Award winners include: :2001 :* Best Feature: ''No Man's Land'' :** Runner-Up: '' Fast Runner'' :* Best Documentary: ''Southern Comfort'' :** Runner-Up: ''Endurance'' :2002 :* Best Feature: ''

Nowhere In Africa ''Nowhere in Africa'' (german: Nirgendwo in Afrika) is a 2001 German drama film that was written and directed by Caroline Link. The screenplay is based on the 1995 autobiographical novel of the same name by Stefanie Zweig. It tells the story o ...

'' :** Runner-Up: ''

Frida ''Frida'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Starring Salma Hayek in an Academy Award–nominated portrayal as K ...

'' :* Best Documentary: ''

Blue Vinyl ''Blue Vinyl'' is a 2002 documentary film directed by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand. With a lighthearted tone, the film follows one woman's quest for an environmentally sound cladding for her parents' house in Merrick, Long Island, New York. ...

'' :** Runner-Up: ''Sister Helen'' :2003 :* Best Feature: ''In America'' :* Best Documentary: ''

My Architect ''My Architect: A Son's Journey'' is a 2003 documentary film about the American architect Louis Kahn (1901–1974), by his son Nathaniel Kahn, detailing the architect's extraordinary career and his familial legacy after his death in 1974. In ...

'' :2004 :* Best Feature: ''

Dear Frankie ''Dear Frankie'' is a 2004 British drama film directed by Shona Auerbach and starring Emily Mortimer, Gerard Butler, Jack McElhone, and Sharon Small. The screenplay by Andrea Gibb focuses on a young single mother whose love for her son prompts h ...

'' :* Best Documentary: ''

Born Into Brothels ''Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids'' is a 2004 Indian-American documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Kolkata's red light district. The widely acclaimed film, written and directed by Zana Briski and Ross ...

'' :2005 :* Best Feature: ''

The World's Fastest Indian ''The World's Fastest Indian'' is a 2005 New Zealand biographical sports drama film based on the Invercargill, New Zealand speed bike racer Burt Munro and his highly modified 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle. Munro set numerous land speed records ...

'' :* Best Documentary: ''Christa Mcauliffe: Reach For The Stars'' :* Best Short: ''A Life To Live'' :2006 :* Best Feature: ''

The Lives Of Others ''The Lives of Others'' (german: link=no, Das Leben der Anderen, ) is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berl ...

'' :* Best Documentary: ''

American Blackout ''American Blackout'' (2006) is a documentary film directed by Ian Inaba. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles the 2002 defeat, and 2004 reelection, of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney to the U.S. House of Represe ...

'' :* Best Short: ''Sintonia'' :2008 :* Best Feature: ''

Phoebe in Wonderland ''Phoebe in Wonderland'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Daniel Barnz. It stars Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Elle Fanning (in her first leading role), Campbell Scott, and Bill Pullman. It was screened in the Drama ...

'' :* Best Documentary: '' Autism: The Musical'' :2009 :* Best Feature: ''Skin'' :* Best Documentary: '' Signs Of The Time'' :* Best Short: ''Julie, Julie'' :2010 :* Best Feature: ''Welcome'' :* Best Documentary: ''Waiting For "Superman"'' :2011 :* Best Feature: ''

The First Grader ''The First Grader'' is a 2010 biographical drama film directed by Justin Chadwick. It stars Naomie Harris, Oliver Litondo, and Tony Kgoroge. The film is based on the true story of Kimani Maruge, a Kenyan farmer who enrolled in elementary school ...

'' :2016 :* Best Feature: ''Sugar!'' :* Best Documentary: ''My Love Affair With The Brain: The Life and Science of Dr. Marian Diamond 2015'' :* Best Feature: ''The Lennon Report'' :* Best Documentary: ''Yemeniettes 2011'' :* Best Documentary: ''

Bill Cunningham New York ''Bill Cunningham New York'' is a 2010 American documentary film directed by Richard Press and produced by Philip Gefter. ''Bill Cunningham New York'' is distributed by Zeitgeist Films and was released in theaters on March 16, 2011. Synopsis "We ...

'' :* Best Short: ''Shoegazer''

References

* *

External links

highfallsfilmfestival.com
Official site {{City of Rochester, NY Film festivals in New York (state) Festivals in Rochester, New York Women's film festivals in the United States Women in New York (state)

Awards

See also

References

External links