The Voice of a Woman
The Voice of a Woman is an organization founded by Maureen A. Bryan in 2009, as a platform for exhibiting the works of women filmmakers, artists and leaders across varying fields internationally. The Voice of a Woman Festival, Awards, Talks and Masterclasses are presented each year in London, New York and Cannes.
History
Maureen A. Bryan, founder and chief executive officer of The Voice of a Woman, earned a master's degree in directing from The Actors Studio in New York under its President Paul Newman and later.Through the years VOW has not only featured the works of women in the arts but has also used its platform "to help build a greater awareness of human rights issues globally".
In 2012 The Voice of a Woman Awards was launched in London at the National Portrait Gallery.
The festival has featured a curated program of talks and film screenings, as well as contemporary art exhibitions, sponsored by or in collaboration with various organizations including HBO, Kodak, Getty Images, the Associated Press and various international NGO’s such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and others.
Since 2016, VOW has held its annual film festival in New York City sponsored by HBO.
In November 2018, the Voice of a Woman Festival, sponsored by Miu Miu, HBO and Kodak, was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, featuring the work of film directors, photographers, artists, and filmmakers such as Agnès Varda, Ava DuVernay, So Yong Kim, Elizabeth Columba, Crystal Moselle, Zoe Cassavetes, Chloë Sevigny, Naomi Kawase, Haifaa Al Mansour, Dakota Fanning, Hiam Abbass, Miranda July, Massy Tadjedin, Giada Colagrande, Lucrecia Martel, Alice Rohrwacher, Ming Smith, Lynn Hershman Leeson, and Adepero Oduye.
The Voice of a Woman Awards
The Voice of a Woman Awards were first presented in 2012 and recipients in the UK, US and France have included: Ming Smith, Shirin Neshat, Grace Jones, Dr. Scilla Elworthy, Deeyah Khan, Bethanne Hardison, Zoë Wanamaker CBE, Sylvia Syms OBE, Alison Owen, Kim Longinotto, Darnell Martin, Shola Lynch, So Yong Kim, Chloe Sevigny, and others.Since 2017 VOW has presented the work of women directors of commercials at the Cannes Palais d'Festivals, during Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, screening a selection of the best short films – commercials, branded content, and art/experimental films – created by women internationally.