Well it’s January again, 🕯

Happy New Year (If we are still saying that???) ✨

If I’m honest, this New Year landed with a bit of fatigue. It’s this weird strange January feeling where everything tells you to go, plan, optimise, manifest!!!!!111 while your body just wants to stay wrapped in a lecky blanket finishing off the tin of celebrations.

It’s not like the weather changes to give us this burst of energy (literally freezing away most days) the days aren’t any lighter for us to do all these new plans we’re being urged to make, and most of us are looking at limited funds to actually do anything.

But alas, the vision boards are everywhere, the Linkedin personas are telling you how their boxing day leftovers make them think about B2B and there’s hope and promise of new starts should we want them. Seeing so many of you using our festival programmes as part of your vision boards has also been a really love touch point, recycling creatives we love to see it ♻️

So without falling into the new year, new us trope, I thought I’d share a little inspiration with you. (while our 2026 vision board is at the printers)
Here are [X] things from our Rianne Pictures vision board that actually came true last year a gentle reminder that sometimes the things we cut out, pin up, and quietly hope for really do happen….if you put the work in….

👉 We grew our audiences more than ever 👉 We added in yoga for our filmmakers to recharge mid festival 👉 We added more parties and a pizza night! 👉 We produced three short films! 👉We launched our writers residency with a PITCH session 👉 We hosted three Evolve workshop away days 👉We got the funding we worked hard for 👉 And we got that pink festival chair.

BUT we also had things that did not happen which is good for balance

👉 We were ghosted by partnerships we wanted 👉 We couldn’t get the TRL esque festival photo booth of our dreams 👉 We couldn’t add in the exhibition space we explored 👉 We didn’t balance work and life as well as we wanted to

There’s more in an IG reel coming your way soon.

Why this year feels a little different 🫧

We’ve now run the women x film festival six times, which feels both grounding and surreal. It’s always been a mindful plan that rather than pushing to make it bigger or busier, we’re consciously choosing each year to look at it through a different lens.

In 2026 this looks like paying closer attention to how our audiences are changing, how people actually want to experience the festival, how it’s a weekend experience for many and most importantly how our team is evolving too → what they need, how they work best, and how we can make this something that feels sustainable and nourishing, not just impressive on paper or actually a really hard weekend when you zoom out of it.

Now for the scary part, ahem, we’ve just onboarded over 100 film previewers. It sounds like a lot right? but we also have a lot of films. Our submissions almost doubled last year, and we did NOT expect that. So yes this decision comes from capacity but also from a real desire to carry out some early audience testing. We don’t just want to know if a film is “good” or “bad” we really want to understand the emotion, where it lands, where it breathes, and where it really stays with you. Which all falls into the essence of programming, how stories can blend together, what are the topics women are exploring across the world through their art, and what people want to see on their screens for enjoyment, escapism but also education.

Growing the team always feels hard, but it’s the right time, and honestly we are so grateful for the amazing talent that has come through and want to volunteer their time with us.

We’re also in conversations with our venue as we want to explore more calm zones, and this comes from our festival consultation piece AND our team away day where we agreed we want to soften (not slow) the pace and have less chucking people in and out of screenings finishing and starting, finding more space to pause, reflect, and connect on the brilliant stories we show on our screens.

Plus there’s the art of play, one sneak peek of this years vision board is the quote ‘Adulting often robs us of playfulness, but rediscovering novelty is vital’ any ideas on this, hit reply, we’d love to hear them.

Submissions are already revealing some exciting trends, and there are literally already films we cannot wait to share with you in the programme. That being said, we’re open until the end of May, so if you have a story whether on the screen or on the page, we really want to check it out. Filmfreeway has all the info.

Women X Alumni News

As the festival circuit returns, we’re so excited to hear of more Alumni news across the industry, and a chance for you to see these great stories and celebrate the wins of our little village of filmmakers!

We’ve seen some exciting award noms for Milk from Naomi Waring who was nominated for British/Irish Short Film Of The Year at London Critics Film Awards and MOLE by Shari Sharpe and Cara Mahoney nominated for Best Comedy/Drama at the UK Film Awards

Truckload from Aella Jordan-Edge was featured on Sky News where stars Evie Jones and Jodie Whittaker spoke about the film’s brilliant message, and The Removed from Rebecca Rose will screen in Parliament this week further highlighting the issues raised in the film.

Crit from Isabel Lea is screening at London Short Film Festival and Egg Timer from Rosie Smith and Hattie Jackson will screen at Sedona International Film Festival over in the states.

And you’re in luck as some of our programme will be online soon for your eyes, with TAKE CARE landing on Short of the week on 29th January, Skin by Sarah Grant will be released online 23rd January and you can watch On The Twelfth Day Of Findom over on Girls In Film!

The RP Slate

Saint Agnes by Kate Driver, a short drama on the aftermath of a sexual assault is almost wrapped up in post production, it’s been a joy to work with Kate both as a writer on our Evolve cohort back in 2023 and now as a director, we’re hoping for a festival premiere in the late Spring.

The Beth Complex by Maggie Dickinson a horror esque sisterly thriller which is now in the festival circuit! Maggie was actually on the same Evolve cohort as Kate back in 2023, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed and eyes on the inbox for some exciting festival selection news soon.

Infant Hercules by Natalia Fox a northern female wrestling drama is shooting in TWO WEEKS (ahhh) after a successful crowdfunding campaign, we’re excited to finally bring this project to life with a north east based cast and crew! 

One more (exciting) thing

If this time of year has you feeling creative, or if there’s a story quietly sitting (or screaming) in your mind, whether that’s a short, feature, or TV idea our next RP: Evolve away day is for you.

We’re leaning more into pitching this time around, and also the trends across the independent film space as well as positively working with producers, alongside the writing and story planning, so it’s a fresh version for a new year, with the same magical charm our writers love so much.

If you’d like to join us for Saturday 7th March in the Lake District, just hit reply to this email and we’ll send you all the details, ahead of it going on socials, and you’ll grab a little newsletter bonus discount treat too.

Thank you, as always, for being part of our filmmaking village whether you’re here for the films, the festival, the encouragement, or all of it wrapped together.

Here’s to a year of warmth (emotionally, if not temperature wise…did we mention it’s freezing) and trying new things, and continuing the fight for authentic stories because we need hope in this world, now more than ever.

All our love,

Team RP xo