Sam Neill and Judy Davis in Gillian Armstrong's 1979 film My Brilliant Career.
The 21st World of Women’s Cinema (WOW) Film Festival will take place in Sydney from April 28 to May 1.
An initiative of Women in Film & Television (WIFT) NSW, the festival will be held in various venues across the city, as well as touring to locations throughout Australia from May.
Gillian Armstrong has been announced as WOW FF's patron for 2016.
Armstrong's 1979 film My Brilliant Career will screen at the festival's opening night gala.
Also in the line-up is a special 25th anniversary screening of Ridley Scott’s 1991 film Thelma and Louise.
The program features eight curated programmes of short films as well as four international feature premieres, as well as Pow-Wow, a series of panel discussions.
Festival Director Sophie Mathisen also unveiled a new development initiative.
On the Table will offer a female screenwriter the chance to have their unproduced feature screenplay read by Sydney actors in front of a live audience during the 3 day event.
“There were hundreds of submissions for Screen Australia’s Brilliant Stories initiative and by showcasing one new work we hope to provide emerging screenwriters with the impetus to continue to develop their work irrespective of the result of their funding applications", Mathisen said.
"This is an important step in lifting the veil on the wealth of Australian talent not currently spotlighted and we hope that the feedback gained from the table reading can aid an emerging writer in developing their work further.”
Entries can be submitted here.