The High Falls Film Festival, founded in 2001, is a film festival that focuses on celebrating women in film. The festival is inspired by Rochester, New York's legacy in nitrate film and the womenâÂÂs rights movement.
High Falls Film Festival presents multiple features, documentaries, and shorts, including a children's program and student-filmmaker program. The festival includes emerging and established female talent, with past guests including actresses Kerry Washington, Christine Lahti, Angela Bassett, Jane Alexander, Candice Bergen, Joan Allen, Famke Janssen, and CCH Pounder, and voice-over actress Nancy Cartwright. The festival is held in Rochester's East End entertainment district.
The festival aligned with the Rochester International Film Festival in 2007 and with George Eastman House in 2009 under the name George Eastman House 360 | 365 Film Festival. The festival took a hiatus in 2012 and returned in 2013. In 2021, the organization changed format from an annual event to a monthly series at Rochester's Little Theatre.
The Susan B. Anthony "Failure is Impossible" Award <br>Honors a woman in the film industry who has persevered in her career and triumphed over difficulties.
The Golden Lens Award for Cinematography<br>Honors a person who has made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of cinematography.
The Rochester Film Legacy Award<br>Honors a filmmaker or film supporter based in the Rochester area whose passion and dedication embodies RochesterâÂÂs proud film legacy.
The Faith Hubley "Web of Life" Award<br>Named after its first recipient, honors a woman who understands the power of art in connecting with an audience and in making the world a better place.
The Elizabeth Cady Stanton "Thorn in the Side" Award<br>Honors women who exemplify the collaborative nature of film and video. The award is named in honor of Stanton, who said: "If there is one part of my life which gives me more intense satisfaction than another, it is my friendship with Susan B. Anthony... we have indeed been thorns in the side of each other..."
Audience Choice Awardees<br>Festival audiences chose Best Feature, Best Documentary and Best Short. Past Audience Award winners include: