Focus: the Future Is NOW
Programme IFFR 2026
IFFR is proud to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of NOW (National Organisation for Women), a major moment in the history of the Civil Rights movement as well as Second Wave Feminism. The Future Is NOW will explore women's cinemas from different periods, confronting early hopes with later developments – classics and world premieres will meet, generations talk. We'll stress authors and practices less commonly explored, with a special emphasis on animation. Subjects like education, communities and histories will be as much a part of this dense mix as will sex, religion and cinema itself. A curious and joyful programme for everybody!
Overview of films
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Pussy Pumps Up
Antoinette Starkiewicz | 7' | Australia | No premiere
The sensuous contours of the film’s animated lines fluidly morph between feminine, feline and masculine. -
Pussy
Renata Gąsiorowska | 8' | Poland | No premiere
A modern animation classic, Pussy is a rollicking romp about self-love. -
Rødstrømper – en kavalkade af kvindefilm
Mette Knudsen | 35' | Denmark | No premiere
A history of modern Danish women’s cinema, presented as a collage of excerpts from some twenty activist works. -
She-Bop
Joanna Priestley | 8' | USA | No premiere
An intriguing animated film about goddesses, power and directing one’s own destiny. -
Skittish Brothers
Hermína Týrlová | 9' | Czechoslovakia | No premiere
Hermína Týrlová crafts a tender, cheerful film with animated yarn and simple objects. -
The Stitches Speak
Nina Sabnani | 12' | India | No premiere
An animated documentary about a community of artists who use Suf embroidery to tell their tales. -
Three Ways of Returning
Mania Akbari, Xiaolu Guo, Andrea Luka Zimmerman | 81' | China | World premiere
A rich three-part essay film portraying attempts at reconnecting with often traumatic pasts, spanning China, Germany and Iran. -
The Trouble with Angels
Ida Lupino | 112' | USA | No premiere
Feminist fun at an all-girls Catholic school, featuring naughty teenage girls and feistily wise nuns! -
UNSERE NATUR
Marlene Denningmann | 29' | Germany | International premiere
Performed documentary featuring pupils taking part in a sex education workshop. -
Voices
Joanna Priestley | 4' | USA | No premiere
A vivid depiction of the relationship between animation and the transformation of individual perception. -
We Aim to Please
Margot Nash, Robin Laurie | 13' | Australia | No premiere
A collage of moments, sweet and strange, on the female condition, fuelled by a disquieting surrealist energy. -
Wellen Wende
Josephine Ahnelt | 73' | Austria | World premiere
A gentle and curious documentary of sublime beauty about postpartum life, its joys and challenges.