Women in Film: The Rising Power of Female Storytellers in A Night to Remember and to Forget
Co-Directors Georgina Frias (left) and Antonia Ortner (right)
When InFocus Film School Film Production Graduates Georgina Frias and Antonia Ortner teamed up to create A Night to Remember and to Forget, the two women in film weren’t just making a movie, they were reclaiming the narrative. Set in the vulnerable aftermath of a shared trauma, the story captures the quiet complexities of friendship, survival, and memory told from two completely different characters with different perspectives on the same night.
“This was about telling the story only we could tell,” Georgina says. “We didn’t want to dramatize trauma. We wanted to reflect how it feels, especially when it’s filtered through memory, shame, and silence.”
Their vision was grounded, raw, and deeply personal. It didn’t just resonate with audiences, it exploded. The film has swept awards across the festival circuit, taking home Best Director at the International Women’s Film Festival, Best Screenplay at the Global Indie Film Awards, and Audience Choice at the Vancouver International Film Festival, among others.
The Urgency of Perspectives From Women in Film
In an industry where male perspectives dominate, stories by women in film are essential. “When women write and direct,” Antonia explains, “we bring nuance to situations that have often been flattened or sensationalized. We know what’s missing, because we’ve lived it.”
Georgina nods. “There were moments in writing where we knew this is a woman’s experience. It’s in the pauses, the glances, the avoidance of eye contact. You don’t need exposition when you’ve lived it.”
The statistics are telling. Despite gains in recent years, women still make up a fraction of directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers in film. According to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, only 24% of behind-the-scenes roles in the top-grossing films of 2023 were held by women.
That makes a project like A Night to Remember and to Forget not just timely, it was vital.
How Collaboration Became a Superpower
The success of the film is as much about the story as it is about the way it was made. Georgina and Antonia’s collaboration grew out of a shared sense of trust and mutual respect, something they credit in part to their experience at InFocus Film School’s Film Production Program.
“We were encouraged to push boundaries, to make mistakes,” Antonia says. “Our instructors didn’t just teach us how to make a film—they gave us the space to find our voice.”
That voice was refined through long nights, candid conversations, and radical vulnerability.
“We had moments where one of us would say, ‘This scene doesn’t feel right,’” Georgina recalls. “And instead of defending it, the other would ask, ‘Okay, what’s missing?’ That openness made the film better and it made us better filmmakers.”
Antonia adds, “Our friendship grew as our characters did. The film wasn’t just about sisterhood. it was built on it.”
Antonia and Georgina on set with the film’s female crew
Festival Wins and Critical Acclaim
The results speak for themselves. Since its premiere, A Night to Remember and to Forget has earned multiple international accolades:
- 🏆 Best Director – International Women’s Film Festival
- 🏆 Best Screenplay – Global Indie Film Awards
- 🏆 Audience Choice Award – Vancouver International Film Festival
- 🏆 Best Cinematography – Canadian Screen Awards
- 🏆 Best Feature Film – Toronto Independent Film Festival
“We were shocked when we won Best Director,” Georgina admits. “Not because we didn’t believe in the film, but because we’ve been conditioned to expect silence. To see our work recognized like that—it was overwhelming.”
But it was the Audience Choice Award that meant the most.
“That award told us people felt what we felt,” Antonia says. “That they weren’t just watching, they were experiencing it.”
Paving the Way for More Women in Film
These women in film aren’t slowing down. They’re currently in development on a feature-length version of the short and have begun offering workshops and mentorship to emerging female filmmakers, many of whom are current or aspiring students at InFocus Film School.
“We want other women to feel like there’s room for them,” says Antonia. “Because there is. The industry needs our voices. It just doesn’t always know it.”
That mentorship, Georgina adds, is about more than teaching technique.
“It’s about helping other women trust their instincts. You don’t have to write like a man to be taken seriously. You just have to keep writing.”
Conclusion: A Reminder and a Rallying Cry
A Night to Remember and to Forget is more than a film—it’s a testament to what happens when women in film are given space, resources, and the freedom to be honest. It’s a reminder that storytelling isn’t just about what’s shown on screen—it’s about who is telling the story.
Georgina puts it simply: “Representation isn’t just about checking a box. It’s about shifting the entire lens.”
And shift it, they did.
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