Women's Global Film Festival
A global platform for women filmmakers
Women’s Global Film Festival (WGFF) is an international platform created to elevate women filmmakers and expand the reach of their work.
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We invite women from around the world to submit documentary and narrative short films that reflect their creative vision and lived experience.
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WGFF is committed to creating visibility, access, and real opportunities for women to participate meaningfully in the business of film — from exhibition to distribution to global audiences.
What We're Building
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A Global Invitation
WGFF is a curated international festival welcoming documentary and narrative short film submissions from women filmmakers across continents and communities.
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The Female Lens
We are interested in short films that bring us into the inner lives of women — how women see the world, interpret it, move through it, and shape it.
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Beyond the Premiere
Selected short films will premiere in Los Angeles and be positioned for expanded visibility through international festival partnerships cultivated by WGFF.
Women in the Business of Film
Market Access
Storytelling and sustainability belong in the same conversation.
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Women deserve access to buyers, distributors, sales agents, streaming platforms, and international markets. WGFF is designed to help strengthen the pipeline between women filmmakers, the film market, and global audiences.
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Our focus is clear: powerful short films deserve circulation, and women deserve to participate fully — creatively and economically — in the industry their work shapes.
Los Angeles Launch
July 18, 2026
Women’s Global Film Festival launches in Los Angeles with a global outlook.
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Through cultivated international festival partnerships, official selections and award-winning short films will be positioned for expanded showcasing opportunities beyond Los Angeles, increasing access to global audiences and industry decision-makers.
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WGFF is building a stronger bridge between women filmmakers, the film market, and audiences around the world.
The Founders
Jan Johnson-Goldberger
Executive Director
Jan Johnson Goldberger is an award-winning producer, director, and American Film Institute alumna whose work has aired on HBO, PBS, BET, and the Showtime Network. She is currently in pre-production on a low-budget feature teen thriller and is writing and producing a feature script based on a true story. She is a professor at the San Francisco Film School. As Executive Director, she leads the festival’s development and operations while building its international presence.
Sheila Jackson
Artistic Director
Sheila Jackson is an award-winning writer and producer whose work brings powerful untold stories to life. She founded Oyster Knife History Studio to develop film and television projects and bring meaningful historical context into contemporary storytelling. After curating A Day In The Sun, she partnered in expanding that platform into Women’s Global Film Festival. As Artistic Director of WGFF, she helps leads the curatorial vision and works to expand visibility and opportunity for women filmmakers.
Deborah Lathan Hayter
Director of Strategic Communications
Deborah Lathan Hayter is an established entertainment publicist whose work in film publicity has taken her across the globe. She has represented projects at major industry platforms, including the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and NAACP Image Awards. At WGFF, she leads communications and cultivates the international partnerships that extend our reach.
