UK festival to give special award to the best short film that passes the gender bias test.

St Albans Film Festival has introduced a Bechdel Award.

The special award will be given to the best short film that passes the Bechdel test, a simple set of criteria which addresses the issue of gender bias in films and was inspired by a comic strip [pictured].

Festival director Leoni Kibbey commented: “This year the festival’s theme is Birds & Flight and it will be focusing on women and birds and flight in film-making, both in the literal and metaphorical sense.

“So we have decided that we will give a special award to the best short film that passes Bechdel, and all feature films to be screened this year will have to pass the test too.”

The festival will, however, still be screening many shorts that do not pass the Bechdel test.

Last year saw Mike Newell’s Great Expectations open the festival’s inaugural edition in the St Albans Cathedral.

This year’s festival runs May 1-4. The full programme will be announced shortly, along with a major headline sponsor.