The UK’s leading international women’s film festival
Women X is proudly hosted by Rianne Pictures, we are a BIFA accredited festival supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network.
Darlington’s Indie Film Festival
Top 100 Rated Film Festival on Filmfreeway
Check out the 2025 film programme
Our biggest year ever, over 140 short films from across the world curated just for you!
Click below to head the film index!
Families are welcome too!
Each year we work with the brilliant Magic Light Pictures to host Julia Donaldson favourites affordable for families.
With dimmed lighting, reduced sound and family crafting session in our cafe space
It’s a weekend experience
We’re more than just back to back films in a dark room, from our ‘meet the filmmaker roundtables’ to our themed quiz nights and our festival cafe craft sessions. Accompanied by our industry parties and writers lab workshops, coming to Darlington for our festival is a break away to fill your film loving heart with an inspirational and fun experience.
When: Back in 2026!
Where: Darlington Hippodrome, Hullaballoo Theatre & Darlington Library (County Durham)
What: A weekend of independent short films from across the world made by women, for everyone to enjoy.
Why: In the mainstream film industry, women hold only approximately 22% of key creative roles like directing, writing, producing, and executive producing. Our festival works towards changing this figure.
How: Filmmakers enter our competition, we curate the best of the films, you come to enjoy them and support their careers at the same time.
FAQ’s
1.What is Women X?
Women X Film Festival is a celebration of bold, original storytelling by women and non-binary filmmakers. Across 3 days in Darlington, we’ll host film screenings, Q&As, workshops, and panel discussions all designed to inspire, connect, and entertain. You don’t need to be “in the industry” to attend — everyone is welcome! Connecting children to film and beloved stories is important to us too, which is why we have Family Cinema and Crafts on the Sunday morning!
2. Do I need to know anything about film to come along?
Not at all! Our festival is for everyone from first-time festival-goers to lifelong film lovers. If you enjoy watching great stories on screen and want to be part of a creative, welcoming community, this is the place for you. Especially if you’re a bit fed up of streaming sites and the lack of cinema listings locally!
3. Where is the festival held?
The festival takes place at Darlington Hippodrome, with a couple of screenings on Friday morning at Darlington Library It’s easy to reach by car, bus, and train, and there are plenty of local cafes, restaurants, and places to explore nearby. We even have an airport nearby!
4. How can I submit my work to the festival?
You can head over to our Filmfreeway page here to read our full rudes and guidelines, there is a small submission fee to support the running costs of the festival, and the programmers time. We accept scripts, short films and feature films.
5. I’ve never been to a film festival so what can I expect?
Think of it like a weekend packed with amazing films, inspiring conversations, and a friendly community vibe. You can book individual tickets for screenings or grab a festival pass if you want to see more. We’ll also have panels, workshops, and networking opportunities, perfect if you’re curious about the behind-the-scenes world of film. The vibe of Women X is very relaxed, if you don’t fancy a film you can chill out with a book and a coffee in our cafe, catch up on some laptop work or chat to other guests while you’re taking a break from the screens.
6. How do I buy tickets?
Tickets and passes will be available online closer to the festival dates so keep an eye on our website and social media for announcements, and get yourself signed up to the newsletter! We recommend booking early, as some screenings and events have limited capacity and often sell out.
7. How can I support the festival?
As a volunteer-led organisation, we rely on community support to make the festival happen. You can help us by buying tickets, spreading the word, bringing friends, or purchasing merchandise, with all funds going directly towards supporting the festival and locally made, female-directed films.
We also welcome local businesses and partners to get involved through sponsorship, award support, or collaborative projects such as panels, workshops, or special events. Every form of support helps us continue championing new voices in film and growing the Women X community. Just email us for our partnerships pitch deck with options.
What people love about Women X Fest…
Venue, Location and Accessibility
Our festival home is Darlington Hippodrome, opened originally in 1907, the Edwardian building has come a long way since then. Particularly the addition of the Hullaballoo Theatre in 2017, the children’s theatre which was the old Fire House. Women X is hosted between both the Hippodrome and Hullaballoo, providing a mixture of rich history and modern theatre for all our attendees.
With a cafe in the building you won’t have to venture far for that coffee and cake during a break between screenings, and there’s lots of comfortable break out areas for you to take a break or connect with new film friends. Our venue is also 100% wheelchair accessible and we have gender neutral bathrooms across the festival weekend.
We also strive to provide as many subtitled films as possible, along with large print versions of our daily schedules.
Getting to us is SO easy too! Darlington Train Station is just up the road with a few minutes walk, with direct trains to London, Manchester, Edinburgh. There’s a cheap car park across the street, and a bus stop just outside. You can stay in one of the central hotels or catch a taxi, there’s a mixture of budget friendly holiday places and B&Bs, as well as Premier Inns, Travelodges and Bannatyne with a spa if you’re feeling fancy.
Darlington has a buzz of nightlife and some gorgeous small businesses where you can grab a bite to eat and a coffee in between your exciting event schedule, especially as the town centre is next to our venue!
You can read more on how to get to the festival here!
Women X Film Festival
Back for 2026…
Darlington, County Durham
“One of my absolute favourite festivals! Really terrific support and the loveliest team and audience”
Louise Nesbitt, Filmmaker