Read Our Story

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Armed with the mission to authentically represent the voices and stories of women and girls around the world, ConnectHER founder Lila Igram launched an annual film festival in 2012 with the help of Harvard students and groups.

Through the ConnectHER Film Festival, high school and college students submit original short films focused on critical women’s issues such as girls’ education, ending violence against women, poverty & economic independence, and authentic beauty/body image.

We're thrilled with how the film festival is turning students into filmmakers—and filmmakers into activists.

To further spark youth activism, in 2016 Connecther launched the ConnectHER Film Festival global chapters. Now from Nepal to NYC, students meet to watch films and support each other’s efforts to create social change.

 


2,250

FILM SUBMISSIONS


$300,000

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED


64

COUNTRIES

 
 


2,250

FILM SUBMISSIONS


$300,000

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED


64

COUNTRIES

 

Our Advisory Board

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Eloise DeJoria

Eloise DeJoria, presenting sponsor of the ConnectHER Film Festival, has worked as a model, actor, businesswoman, and philanthropist. She is a partner and co-founder of several companies and has created successful health and wellness products. She is widely recognized as the original spokesmodel for Paul Mitchell haircare products. DeJoria supports many philanthropic causes, including SafePlace and She Is Rising.

Christopher Stover

Chris Stover serves as Head of Digital Cinematography and Pre-visualization at DreamWorks Animation. He works with diverse teams to enrich storytelling through experimentation with camera staging and art direction. Chris has contributed to numerous films including; How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Turbo, as well as, supervision of pre-visualization and pitch-visualization for NBCUniversal projects.

Elizabeth Avellán

is co-owner and vice president of Troublemaker Studios and president of EYA Productions. In addition to producing family genre films that have collectively grossed over a billion dollars, she has also played a primary role in developing Austin, Texas as a thriving film community.

Candice Wilson

From inception to completion, Candice Wilson brings her extensive knowledge of script development, physical production, post-production and distribution to her projects, most recently working on Traffik, starring Paula Patton and Omar Epps, the hit Tupac Shakur biography All Eyez On Me and the Untitled Doris Payne Project and Angela Davis Project. She is interested and experienced in the creative and practical side of entertainment, which enables her to discover new and unheard voices, and bring them into the mainstream.

Terrence Malick

Terrence Malick is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for critically acclaimed films such as Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World, and The Tree of Life.

Nikki Reed

Nikki Reed is an actress, conservationist, musician and designer who co-founded sustainable and ethical fashion brand, Bayou With Love. Reed won critical acclaim for her first feature, Thirteen, which she starred in and co-wrote. Reed brings her long standing passion for animals, youth, and the environment to her work as vice president of the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which supports youth environmental activism and sponsors the ConnectHER Film Festival’s Green IS Environmental Film Award.