FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Austin, Texas, October 2021

ConnectHER Film Festival 2021
held virtually on November 13 at 7 pm

International competition of short films that highlight women’s issues

(Austin, Texas) — The annual ConnectHER Film Festival, presented by ConnectHER and presenting sponsor Eloise DeJoria, will be held on Saturday, November 13, from 7 to 8:30 pm. The ConnectHER Film Festival provides a powerful platform for young filmmakers to tell original, authentic stories about global women’s issues and spark change. The festival features film screenings, special guests, and awards that amplify and celebrate the voices of emerging young filmmakers from around the globe. Registration for the festival, to be held virtually this year, is open now at www.connectherfilmfest.org/attend.

The ConnectHER Film Festival invites youth filmmakers to submit short films about such issues as global health, ending child marriage, educating girls, and redefining beauty. The festival has received more than 1,250 original films from 42 countries and has awarded more than $175,000 in scholarships.

Each year, a panel of esteemed judges reviews top entrants to select finalists to be considered for final awards on festival day. This year’s lineup of judges include Austin-based film producer Elizabeth Avellán, international actress and global ambassador Tara Emad, philanthropist and award-winning actress Nikki Reed, and actor Ian Somerhalder, star of The Vampire Diaries and founder of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which sponsors the film festival’s Green IS Environmental Film Award.

“What I love about this film festival is that the films show real, authentic human stories behind the statistics,” says award-winning filmmaker Sarah Jehaan Khan. “You don’t even need the best filmmaking skills to create a powerful and moving film that may be used to ignite social change. Learn more about Sarah and other featured filmmakers here.

The next submission deadline for the film festival is June 1, 2022. Learn more here.

About ConnectHER

ConnectHER envisions a world where women and girls are seen, heard, and encouraged to reach their full potential. The nonprofit invests in women by supporting locally led projects around the world and amplifying girls’ voices through our film festival. Executive director Lila Igram is a social entrepreneur who founded ConnectHER in 2011. The Austin, Texas-based organization works with project partners, donors, and filmmakers in more than 40 countries.

To learn more about ConnectHER, please visit:

Connecther.org, facebook.com/connecther, or twitter.com/connecther.

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