Melbourne Women in Film Festival Limited

The Melbourne Women in Film Festival s 2024 hybrid festival brought together a dynamic program of screenings, panel discussions, and workshops. The festival program thematically presented women s and gender diverse people s perspectives on our natural, social and cultural environments, relating to important contemporary issues such as climate change and sustainability, First Nations strength and collective resilience, workplace cultures for women and gender diverse creative practitioners, and the fight for trans rights. New and diverse audiences were attracted to and participated in the rich conversations and immersed themselves in moving fictional, animated and documentary storytelling. Overall, MWFF 2024 engaged in much needed and timely conversations in creative ways, as we navigate a postVoice Australia, attacks on women s autonomy and queer rights, and confront the climate crisis in our region. In 2024, MWFF also collaborated with the City of Melbourne as part of their Heat Lab program established to raise awareness of the dangers of extreme summer heat. MWFF organised a 48hr film challenge on the theme of 'extreme heat' and held screenings of the entries in Melbourne venues over the months of December, January and February. The events culminated with a special screening, awards and panel event, the latter bringing together experts in the areas of urban design and climate, science communication, and public health to respond to the question: How can we better communicate the urgency of extreme heat as a climate threat?