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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | AUGUST 1, 2021
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Women’s film festival plans return in 2022 SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF
The 2022 Worldwide Women’s Film Festival is back, and filmmaker submissions are now open. The festival will be held next Feb. 1820 at the Harkins Shea 14 Theatres, 7354 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale. Early bird registration is now open on Film Freeway at filmfreeway.com/WorldwideWomensFilmFestival through Sept. 3, with regular registration ending Oct. 1, and late registration ending Nov. 1. Like many other events, the 2020-21 event was canceled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. But during the past year, event founder Kim A. Huenecke has been working hard to make several changes in the festival. For instance, the Worldwide Women’s Film Festival is officially a federally certified nonprofit – a status that Huenecke predicts will help tremendously. “We hope to secure grants and other charitable donations that will be helpful in putting together a festival of this size,” Huenecke explained. “It was so hard to have to cancel the last festival, but we are thrilled to be back supporting women in film.” The new board of directors includes Huenecke as president; Keenan Murray, vice president; Toy Taylor, secretary; Joy Bazanis, graphic designer; and Elaine “E.E.” Moe, board member-at-large. The festival also has a new website and slogan, “We have become the future,” which can be found at the new url at wwfilmfestival.org. Now in its fourth year, the festival shows films with a woman in at
Worldwide Women’s Film Festival festival volunteers include, from left: Sandy Kim, Michelle Allen, Cassandra Nicholson, fest President Kim A. Huenecke and festival co-founder Eva Louis. (Special to STSN)
least one key creative role of writer, producer, director, cinematographer, editor and composer, including for best feature, short, documentary feature, cinematography, visual effects, original music score, sci-fi and web series. However, WWFF goes beyond showcasing women in front of and behind the camera. WWFF strives for inclusiveness and diversity and balance of gender, race, film positions and more. Films under 60 minutes are considered shorts, with films longer than 60
minutes are considered feature length. All genres, narrative and documentary, will be accepted. Film buffs who want to help in a variety of capacities are sought as volunteers as well as sponsors for the film festival. The festival needs ushers, ticket takers, film programming, registration, poster distribution, help with after-party set up and tear down and a host of other tasks. Contact Volunteer Coordinators Jennifer Younghans and January Queen at Sungateagency@gmail.com or January-
Queen@gmail.com. Sponsor packages are available for $50 to $1,000, for awards, workshops, breakfast panel, in-kind donations and more. Visit www.wwfilmfestival.org/ sponsors for details. For more information and updates, visit the festival’s website at www. wwfilmfestival.org, email worldwidewomensfilmfestival@gmail.com or direct message Festival organizations via Facebook at Worldwide Women’s Film Festival.
Sun Lakes author publishes new novel Sacramento and is a recipient of the prestigious International Association of Business Communicators Award of Excellence.
SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF
Sun Lakes author Sandra Givens says she’s incorporated some contemporary issues into her latest novel, “Love at the Ranch.” That book comes after last year’s publication of two novels that she published within eight months of each other – “Second Chances” and “Maui Christmas.” “Love at the Ranch is a sequel to her 2018 novel, “Running Horse Ranch” and Givens devotes part of her book to exploring domestic violence and the possible extinction facing the world’s bee population. Although Givens had noted last year that “readers keep asking me for more about the characters,” she hadn’t planned on writing a sequel but eventually decided to feed their curiosity about her characters. “Love” follows the blossoming romance between characters Cassandra Markham and Jake “Running Horse” Kelly. When they first met, Cassandra was married to a tyrant. Following his death, the two re-connect but Givens poses
got stories “inI’vemyalways head and have
been toying with the idea of what happens on a flight to Paris.
”
– Sandra Givens
Sandra Givens this question to tantalize her readers: will Cassie’s troubled past prevent future happiness? Givens received her B.A. in English from California State University at
Her short story, “Life with Auntie,” was published in 2013. Givens is a member of Romance Writers of America. She travels extensively but noted that the pandemic for a while put an end to that. So she began writing more. Now that she can travel again, Givens hasn’t put writing totally aside and is giving her next novel a lot of thought. “ I’ve always got stories in my head
and have been toying with the idea of what happens on a flight to Paris,” she said, adding that while she is “still noodling it around, after all, who doesn’t love Paris?” Givens published “Second Chances,” late last fall. That novel looks at a young widow who decides it is time to move on with her life. To rediscover who she is without her husband, she sets out on an adventure alone, never knowing what obstacles await her. The novel creates some romantic suspense as the reader begins to wonder if secrets from her past destroy her chance at future happiness. Givens said she enjoys writing as “a good way for me to escape the ugliness of what has happened in this country. I can put the news aside and go off in a fantasy land.” And her endings won’t disappoint readers. “I guess I’m a hopeful romantic – always wanting a happy ending,” she said. “Who doesn’t love being in love? And being loved?” All Givens’ works are available on amazon.com.
