F-Rated
Our programme of films featuring the work of female directors has coincided with the development of the F-rating, a new system designed to flag up the significant involvement of women in film, on either side of the camera.
The F-Rating Manifesto
The stories we see on screen influence our lives. We want to hear stories from everyone, not just from one section of society.
We want diversity in filmmaking, both on and off screen.
The F-rating was founded by Holly Tarquini at Bath Film Festival 2014 where we wanted to highlight films which feature prominent women both behind the camera and in front of it.
Every film which ticks yes to the one of the following questions receives the F-rating of approval:
- Does it have a female director?
- Is it written by a woman?
- Is/are there complex female characters on screen who exist in their own right (not simply there to support to the male lead)?
The F stands for feminist.
Feminism is: "The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." We believe that feminism benefits everyone.
Featuring
At the age of 84, Edie (Sheila Hancock) is finally free of the ties that bound her to an invalid and domineering husband – and it is the moment to start making up for lost time.
Her goal is to climb a mountain, Suilven, in the Scottish Highlands. Local guide Jonny (Kevin Guthrie - Dunkirk) is the man to help her do it. Movie Review World said that the relationship between the two is the key to the movie’s success and rates it as ‘one of the most tender on screen friendships of the year’.
Thanks to Arrow films
This authentic and heart-rending film is the story of Brady, a rodeo rider who has just emerged from a coma. Brady is told not to ride again. "Play the cards you are dealt," says his father "let it go." Yet Brady's purpose in life is hitched to riding horses. Also, living in a trailer and eating rabbit soup is not the stuff of champions. In the starlight, around a campfire with friends, listening to his little sister sing simple yet beautiful songs Brady ponders his next moves.
Thanks to Altitude Films
A Woman's Life is a tale of tormented love embedded in the restrictive social and moral codes of marriage and family in 19th century Normandy. Upon finishing her schooling in a convent, young aristocrat Jeanne marries local Viscount Julien de Lamare, who soon reveals himself to be a miserly and unfaithful husband. As she navigates his chronic infidelity, pressure from her family and community, and the alternating joys and burdens of motherhood, Jeanne's rosy illusions about her privileged world are slowly stripped away.
Thanks to Arrow Films
A hard hitting documentary, Trophy is a startling exploration of the evolving relationship between big game hunting and wildlife conservation that will leave you debating what is right, what is wrong and what is necessary in order to save the great species of the world from extinction.
Be prepared to have your preconceptions challenged.
Thanks to Munro Films
A 14-year-old girl belonging to the Sami people, a Scandinavian ethnic minority, is subjected to racism and eugenic scrutiny in the 1930s when she is removed from her family and sent to a state-run school that aims to re-educate her into Swedish culture. She must soon choose between new academic opportunities or staying true to her cultural identity.
Thanks to Swedish Film Institute
Keswick Peace and Human Rights Group Screening
A globetrotting documentary that's more focused on solutions than problems, Demain provides a comprehensive look at ways in which activists, organizers and everyday citizens are trying to make the world a better, greener, more sustainable place. Co-directed by ecological rights advocate Cyril Dion and actress-filmmaker Melanie Laurent, this playfully made exposé should be required viewing for anyone wondering what they could do to pitch in and save the planet.
Thanks to Elle Driver
Mountains May Depart is a film by Jia Zhangke, who has spent most of his 20-year career sounding off on the downside of what he considers his country's too-enthusiastic embrace of globalization, and the influence of Western capitalism and ideals (read: greed) that come with it. Set in 1999, 2014 and 2025, Mountains May Depart revolves mostly around its everyday heroine, Tao (Zhao Tao, Jia's muse on and offscreen), a woman caught somewhere between the dream and the reality of modern China.
In what may be the film of the Festival, Chilean director Sebastián Leilo (Gloria) has created an exquisitely compassionate portrait of the everyday obstacles of transgender existence.
Marina is a young waitress and aspiring singer. When her (older) partner dies after an accident Marina comes under suspicion. By virtue of her gender identity she is treated like a criminal, with everyone seeing not a grieving woman but an aberration.
Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and Teddy Award
Thanks to Curzon/Artificial Eye
Following the death of her father, Alice (Ruth Wilson) returns to her home village for the first time in 15 years, to claim the tenancy to the family farm she believes is rightfully hers. Her brother Joe (Mark Stanley – Game of Thrones, Love Lies and Records) who has worked the farm all these years understandably has other ideas. Then there is the spectre of their father, Richard (Sean Bean) which looms over the pair of them.
Thanks to Arrow Films
Keswick Peace and Human Rights Group Screening
Film director Leila Sansour returns to Bethlehem to make a film about her home town, soon to be encircled by a wall.
The film spans seven momentous years in the life of Bethlehem, revealing a city of astonishing beauty and political strife under occupation.
Thanks to Open Bethlehem Organisation
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