FESTIVAL FOCUS

Oscar and BAFTA winner Peter Straughan, who penned the screenplay for “Conclave,” will serve on the jury for the 2025 Women and the World International Film Festival, running Nov. 6-12 in London.

The festival returns with the theme Peace Strategies: Women as Agents of Security, building on last year’s momentum when Grand Prix winner “Porcelain War” earned an Academy Award nomination.

The jury includes British actors Daniel Ings (“The Gentlemen,” “The Crown”) and Tamara Lawrance (“The Silent Twins,” “Time”), Danish Academy-nominated actor-director Diêm Camille (“Alien: Earth,” “The Wheel of Time”), writer-director-actor-producer Marcia Kimpton, British actor-producer Victoria Emslie (“Downton Abbey,” “12 Monkeys”), Ukrainian director-producer Ksenia Bugrimova (“The Wishlist”), and documentary curator Elizabeth McIntyre.

“IFFWW is about depth and power, red lips in the middle of the blitz, resilience when the world is falling apart,” says co-founder Bugrimova.

The festival will showcase British premieres, masterclasses, panels, art exhibitions, and the Woman of World Impact Award.

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

The Association of Independent Music has announced the full program for AIM Connected 2025, taking place Sept. 9 at east London’s Rich Mix.

The flagship conference will feature a keynote fireside chat between AIM CEO Gee Davy and AI commentator Ed Newton-Rex, founder of ethical AI non-profit Fairly Trained. Newton-Rex, a Cannes Lion Innovator Award winner for AI composition startup Jukedeck (acquired by Bytedance), previously led Bytedance’s AI Music lab and Stability AI’s Audio Team.

Industry speakers include Luminate VP/GM International Adrian Sarosi, Young COO Chloë Roberts, former Merlin CEO Charles Caldas, and AudioSalad co-founder Iain Catling discussing market disruption strategies.

The event targets founders, leaders, strategists and entrepreneurs across the independent music sector, featuring expert panels on neighboring rights, label operations, and scaling music businesses alongside popular “Strong Opinion” mini-keynotes.