The Women's Film Festival kicks off 9th annual event on August 15th with local film

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- This week, some of the world's premiere female filmmakers are coming to Philadelphia for a ten day celebration of their work in cinema.

This is the 9th year for The Women's Film Festival, and the opening night feature is the work of a local filmmaker.

"'Last Known Location' is a psychological thriller, a crime drama," says Aimee Theresa, a filmmaker from West Chester. She wrote, produced and stars in the film.

"It's our Philadelphia premiere at the Women's Film Festival, so we're really excited to be showcasing this film at home," Theresa says. "Everyone involved is local. All of the actors are local."

The director is Aimee's husband, Danny Donnelly. They filmed it here at home, including some very familiar and personal locations.

"We shot some of it in my mom's basement," she laughs. "Everything was filmed in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. We shot some of it in Delaware County. We shot in the city."

It's just one of the many local films on tap this year.

"We also do two programs of short films from all local producers and filmmakers," says Suzi Nash, the Artistic Director for The Women's Film Festival. "That's one of our most popular programs, because everybody comes out to see it. Their families can see their films on a big screen."

This year's 10-day festival features close to 100 films from female filmmakers across the globe.

"We have filmmakers coming in from Hawaii, from New Zealand, and even one from Taiwan," Nash says. "The camaraderie among the women is amazing."

Their one hope is to get more local festival-goers on board.

"We're kind of getting a worldwide reputation, but we're still trying to get people in Philadelphia to realize that we're here," Nash says.

Opening night for The Women's Film Festival is Thursday, August 15th. It runs through August 25th.

For details, visit TheWomensFilmFestival.org.