Female Film Club Launches Expanded Global Short Film Fund at Cannes

The Female Film Club (FFC) announced the second Global Short Film Fund at the Cannes Film Festival. The €33,000 prize package adds three new partners—AI platform IMGN.AI, post-production house Disauthority, and virtual-production firm Mo-Sys. FFC, founded by Liza van der Smissen and Nicole Lieberman, operates a network spanning 70 nationalities. Its inaugural fund awarded Lisa Cole’s short ‘Filthy,’ announced at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2025. Co-founders stressed that the fund is designed to convert support into concrete opportunities and to ensure every applicant receives some assistance.

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The fund offers €10,000 for production, €15,000 for post-production, €8,000 for virtual-production, plus IMGN.AI access, an FFC Members Club membership and introductions. Open to female or non-binary filmmakers 18 or older; entries must be short films <=30 minutes with a <=35-page screenplay, budget, character and IMGN.AI script coverage, in English. Applicants receive a free IMGN.AI account and membership; shortlisted receive €600 Mo-Sys consulting. Submissions open 26 May–5 September 2025; list notified 20 September, and the winner is announced at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2026.

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Actress Krassimira Belev co-powers the fund through her production company First Draft, which she runs with Anton Belev. Co-founders Liza van der Smissen and Nicole Lieberman continue to steer FFC. New industry partners IMGN.AI, post-production house Disauthority and virtual-production firm Mo-Sys provide the technical and creative services underpinning the prize.

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• “Supporting Lisa Cole’s film ‘Filthy’ through last year’s Female Film Club Global Film Fund was incredibly meaningful because it showed what can happen when support moves beyond good intentions and turns into action. This is the kind of opportunity I wish had existed at the start of my career, and I am proud to support the fund for a second time, helping create real opportunities for women whose stories deserve to be seen,” — Krassimira Belev, Actress and FFC Bulgaria Co-founder

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• “The Female Film Club Global Fund believed in ‘Filthy’ when it was just a dream on a page. Being their inaugural recipient, chosen by an incredible international panel, was validation that stories like mine matter and resonate across borders. Female Film Club understands that uplifting female filmmakers requires more than just funding. They’re committed to our continuing education and emotional well-being, and recognize that we need community, not just capital, to thrive. This award didn’t just fund my film – it reminded me I’m not alone in this fight.” — Lisa Cole, Filmmaker

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• “We have built a community across more than 70 nationalities. We know exactly where the gaps are and we know what is missing is not talent. It is access. The FFC exists to close that gap, no matter where you are in the world,” — Nicole Lieberman, FFC Co-founder

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• “Last year we asked whether the industry was ready to back female filmmakers at this scale. The response was incredible. This year we built on that with something more substantial, and one clear intention: no applicant leaves empty handed. Every element of this fund is designed to carry a filmmaker from script to screen with the kind of support that is usually reserved for those who already have access to it,” — Liza van der Smissen, FFC Co-founder

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Filmmaker will receive package—production grant, post-production services from Disauthority, virtual-production support with consulting from Mo-Sys, IMGN.AI tools, and an FFC Members Club membership. FFC will assess impact at BFI London Film Festival awards ceremony and plans to expand network for editions.

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