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While the 2025 Oscar nominees highlighted plenty of stories about women, far fewer of them were behind the camera. According to a new study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the percentage of women directors among the top 100 grossing films dropped from 20 in 2024 to just 8.1 percent in 2025. Statistics like these underscore the importance of events like the annual Denver Women+Film Festival, April 24 to 26 this year, which centers “powerful films by, for, and about women,” says Denver Film programming manager Ambriehl Turrentine.
“It’s interesting to see how these numbers fluctuate over time,” Turrentine says. “During the silent film era, there was a strong workforce of women directors, which makes today’s numbers seem unfortunate. That said, there are still lots of women in the industry, especially in the independent film scene.”
This year’s three-day event at the Sie FilmCenter includes eight feature films and seven shorts. Beyond screenings, attendees can join a community conversation about gender bias in AI (Saturday, April 25 at 9:30 a.m.; standby opens at 9 a.m.), browse a marketplace featuring local, women-owned businesses and artists (Sunday, April 26 at 11:30 a.m.), and mingle with other movie lovers at a mixer hosted by Women in Film & Media Colorado (Saturday, April 25 at 3:30 p.m.).
Ahead of the 17th annual festival, we asked Turrentine for four can’t-miss flicks.
Rocky Mountain Women Shorts Program
- When: Saturday, April 25 at 1:30 p.m.
- Directors: Kailey Aponte (Riot Grrrl: Denver’s Punk Rebellion), Kenzie Claflin (Fly Chicks), Erin Kirby (Why We Ride), Andrea Nordgren (Ploujét), Traven Rice (Lay Lefty Down), Dana Romanoff (Labor of Love), and Sheila Schroeder (For All Humankind)
“We have a record number of homegrown Colorado stories this year,” says Turrentine. This block of shorts strings together seven films (each around 10 minutes) by Colorado-based female filmmakers, moving with the addictive pace of a really good scroll, but with far more staying power. Follow a female engineer pushing her way into the boys’ club of moon exploration, a fly-fishing adventure through a distinctly feminine lens, a look into Denver’s nonbinary cycling scene, a portrait of friendship inside a busy Colorado birth center, and more.
Stick around after the credits roll because the program flows into a resource fair where you can meet the filmmakers, ask questions, and maybe even find your next creative collaboration.
Daughters of the Dust
- When: Saturday, April 25 at 4:15 p.m.
- Director: Julie Dash
Originally debuting in 1991 at Sundance, “Daughters of the Dust is a cinematic landmark,” Turrentine says. “It’s visually stunning, culturally rich, and still profoundly relevant. Director Julie Dash was one of the first Black female directors in the U.S. to get a wide release. That’s really interesting going back to that conversation of female directors over time.”
The film, which celebrates its 35th anniversary at the festival, follows a multigenerational family of former West African slaves who live in Gullah, islands off the coast of South Carolina, as they grapple with the life-altering choice of moving to the mainland and further away from the culture and heritage they are trying to preserve.
The Baronesses
- When: Saturday, April 25 at 4:15 p.m.
- Directors: Mokhtaria Badaoui and Nabil Ben Yadir
This film wraps the screenings with a sci-fi comedy about grandmothers reclaiming their dreams. “It’s funny, bold, and subversive,” Turrentine says. The grannies stage a performance of Hamlet and basically upend their lives to prove that creative defiance has no age limits.
“One of the festival’s major themes this year is focusing on a woman’s entire lifespan,” Turrentine says. “Films like Cookie Queens capture youth, and Les Baronnes brings humor and joy to aging and agency.”
One in a Million
- When: Saturday, April 25 at 4:15 p.m.
- Directors: Itab Azzam and Jack Macinnes
This documentary was shot over the course of 10 years, following Israa as she matures from her childhood fleeing Syria to her adult life in Germany where she questions her identity. “This is a very human story about exile, belonging, cultural roots, tension with freedom, and a beautiful illustration of resilience across borders,” says Turrentine.
One in a Million premiered at Sundance earlier this year (as did Cookie Queens) and is just one of the many films that have contributed to a growing relationship between Denver Film and Sundance as Colorado prepares to host the festival next year.
Get your ticket to Women+Film: Festival passes are $75 for Denver Film Members and $85 for non-members. Single screening tickets are $13 for members, $16 for non-members.
