Athena Film Festival: A Celebration of Women and Leadership Launches

Hosted by Barnard College and Women and Hollywood, the Athena Film Festival: A Celebration of Women and Leadership, launches its inaugural season this Thursday, February 10 and runs through Sunday, Feb. 13, on Barnard's campus in Morningside Heights.

The festival will examine the values women leaders share-vision, courage, resilience-and explore leadership across race, class and culture. Greenberg Actress Greta Gerwig (Barnard Class of '06), Academy Award® nominated Debra Granik (Winter's Bone), producer Debra Martin Chase (The Princess Diaries), You've Got Mail writer Delia Ephron (Barnard class of '66) documentary director Chris Hegedus and are just a few of the women who will be presented with an Athena Award during the festival.

The festival is also proud to present a wide range of features, documentaries, shorts and panels. Highlights include the NY premiere of Miss Representation, Pink Saris, Academy Award® nominated Winter's Bone, Mo, Desert Flower, The Mighty Macs and several panels.

"We are extremely proud and excited for the festival to begin this Thursday. We have an extraordinary mix of features, documentaries and shorts and are thrilled to bring them to New York audiences." said Kathryn Kolbert, co-founder of the Festival and director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies at Barnard College. "We are also incredibly grateful to our sponsors who have made this possible."

"The filmmakers, panels and films speak to our original goal to open a robust dialogue about women and leadership, and what it takes to excel, collaborate, lead and inspire," said Melissa Silverstein, co-founder of the Festival and founder of Women and Hollywood.

Athena Film Festival appreciates the support from its sponsors which include: PepsiCo's Women's Inspiration Network; The Richenthal Foundation; Abigail E. Disney; Director's Discretionary Fund, Dobkin Family Foundation; Anonymous; hanky panky; Nancy Stephens, Rick Rosenthal & Whitewater Films; Bradford Construction Corporation; Chicken & Egg Pictures; Jennifer Christman; Glori Cohen, Art Advisory, New York; Kaufman Astoria Studios; Lunafest short films by, for about Women; The McGraw-Hill Companies and NewsCorp.

To purchase tickets or for additional information, please visit www.athenafilmfestival.com.

ABOUT THE ATHENA CENTER
Barnard College's Athena Center for Leadership Studies is a premier interdisciplinary center devoted to the theory and practice of women's leadership. Renowned civil rights attorney Kathryn Kolbert is the Athena Center director.

ABOUT WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
Women and Hollywood operates at the intersection of feminism and entertainment. Since its inception in 2007 it has grown to be one of the most respected sites focused on women's issues and popular culture, and its founder, Melissa Silverstein has become a well-respected commentator on the subject.

ABOUT BARNARD COLLEGE
The idea was bold for its time. Founded in 1889, Barnard was the only college in New York City, and one of the few in the nation, where women could receive the same rigorous and challenging education available to men. Today, Barnard is the most sought-after college for women and remains dedicated to the education of strong, independent-minded women who change the world and the way we think about it.

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