The Nevada Women’s Film Festival Honors Artistic Visionaries

Founder Sarah O’Connell of Eat More Art and Artistic Director of The Asylum Theatre, honored at the festival.

By Debbie Hall

The 11th annual Nevada Women’s Film Festival culminated on a high note. The festival showcased 47 films by and about women from 13 countries, hosted at the UNLV Department of Film. The State of Arts & Culture: More Than Just Sin City panel featured arts and culture leaders, including Sarah O’Connell, Artistic Director of The Asylum Theatre and founder of Eat More Art. She was also honored with the second annual Spirit of Community Arts during the 2025 Femmy Awards.

“The panel was exceptional. They gathered an exciting group of people from live entertainment and local film, along with myself and a couple of other producers like the Executive Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic,” said Sarah. “It was about the creative economy, the future of arts here, and setting the next stage for the Entertainment Capital of the World.”

Moderated by BTSLV Entertainment Reporter and FanRoom Live co-host Ashley Rojas and Nevada Arts Council member Michelle Patrick, the line-up of panelists included:

· Danette Tull, Deputy Director of the Nevada Film Office

· Sarah O’Connell, Artistic Director of The Asylum Theatre and founder of EatMoreArtVegas.com

· Kelly Schwarze, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, author, entrepreneur, and co-owner of Indie Film Factory

· Jennifer Romas, producer, director, choreographer, and star of the Las Vegas smash hit Cabaret SEXXY The Show and the upcoming EXXCITE

· Dr. Heather Addison, chair of the Department of Film at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

· Alice Sauro, Executive Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic

The 2025 Femmy Awards and closing ceremony show was celebrated on June 22.

Nikki Corda, Executive Director and Founder of Nevada Women’s Film Festival, shared a personal story in the beginning about how she met Sarah. The Asylum Theatre produced Nikki’s father’s musical, making his dream a reality.

“I was so humbled by all of the effort and thoughtfulness that the board put into showing their appreciation. It’s never been clearer how much this matters to people, even though you can’t necessarily show it by all the metrics,” said Sarah.

Along with the Spirit of Community Arts, Sarah was presented with an award by Governor Joe Lombardo and Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03). Eat More Art will be celebrating its 10th anniversary later this year.

In addition, the winner of Audience Choice was the movie session written by Jose Anthony, who has performed in multiple Asylum Theatre shows.

Click here for the winners of the 2025 Femmy Awards.

Congratulations to NWFFest's 2025 Nevada Vanguard Award honoree, Brittany S. Hall, for her stunning achievements in film and television, including the critically acclaimed drama Test Pattern. Part psychological horror, part realist drama, this exhilarating debut feature from Shatara Michelle Ford is set against the backdrop of national discussions about inequitable healthcare and policing, the #MeToo movement, and the state of race in America.

The Arts, Creative, and Entertainment Industry (ACE) Chamber (www.acechamber.org) also participated in the panel events to reach those working in the local film industry.

Women in Film Nevada is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization; all donations are tax-deductible. The Nevada Women's Film Festival is supported, in part, by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency that receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. This festival is made possible by support from Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more info, visit nwffest.com.