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Who‘s coming to FiLIA?

786 replies

lanadelgrey · 23/08/2025 10:33

I‘m starting to get excited.
Are there plans for a MN meetup?

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ThisIsMyGCname · 01/10/2025 10:14

I’ve got a Saturday day ticket, but I’ve not bought a train ticket. I’m a bit worried it’ll be frightening to get from the station to the the venue. I’m not usually a scarlet cat but I’m feeling really vulnerable atm.

Talkinpeace · 30/09/2025 14:54

NOW I'm feeling excited !

RobinEllacotStrike · 30/09/2025 14:49

here's the Cardiff playlist on Spotify chokka full of fab tunes - I'll be playing this as I drive to Brighton

open.spotify.com/playlist/0c4aUXrbwxiJukkSiENKsR?si=f2131924c88146b1

Talkinpeace · 30/09/2025 14:48

Joan Jett, I love Rock and Roll
Annie Lennox, Sisters are Doin it for themselves
Gloria Gaynor, I will survive
Sugababes, Stronger
Aretha Franklin, Respect
Nina Simone, I'm feeling good

I'll be on the cider ;-)

RobinEllacotStrike · 30/09/2025 14:40

drop your tunes here @Talkinpeace & I can pass them on

Talkinpeace · 30/09/2025 14:08

I am wondering if we get a playlist choice this year (as we did in Cardiff) for the Saturday night !

fabricstash · 29/09/2025 22:09

Starting to get excited about next week!

ParmaVioletTea · 26/09/2025 23:29

Agreed @Talkinpeace i think the FILIA organisers have done an amazing job and have scheduled a very wide range of speakers and topics. MN feminism is a small part of a very broad movement that’s been going for 60 years at least (thinking back to the Women’s Liberation conferences of the 60s and 70s).

Talkinpeace · 26/09/2025 16:20

The vast bulk of Filia attendees (I include myself in that list)
are going to chat and laugh and learn a bit.

Yes, Filia decide who speaks at their conference.
Yes, others may not agree with their choices.
Fine, set up your own one.

The Saturday disco is a blast.
I have completely filled my days with sessions to attend
and the lunchtime mingles are worth every moment.

Hermiaxx · 18/09/2025 11:53

I’ve got the app downloaded and am so looking forward to FiLiA this year (I actually bought my ticket in December 2023 - so it’s been a long time coming!).

Hope to see you all there too!

ParmaVioletTea · 09/09/2025 17:07

Yes. I know I need to leave around 3pm on Sunday to get home to Outer Ruralia and be ready for work on Monday morning. I doubt I’m the only one who’ll be leaving then. So I suspect they’ve tried to schedule mostly Saturday and Friday afternoon/evening.

lanadelgrey · 09/09/2025 16:15

I’d say Friday or Saturday are better if you can only do one day rather than Sunday when it finishes at about 4.

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ParmaVioletTea · 09/09/2025 12:59

The programme is now available to those who’ve already bought their tickets. It’s jam packed with some great speakers and a broad range of topics.

ParmaVioletTea · 06/09/2025 10:57

They publish the programme nearer to the date, and the easiest way to get it is usually via the Whova app. It's one of those scheduling apps (like Sched) but also offers the ability to introduce yourself, and arrange meet ups.

RobinEllacotStrike · 06/09/2025 09:46

The schedule is always out quite late.

the party is on the Saturday night.

if you look on socials they are putting out info re speakers but I don’t think session times are included

ParmaVioletTea · 04/09/2025 17:38

I don't think they've published the schedule yet. I'm arriving late afternoon Friday & have to leave early afternoon Sunday, so resigned to missing some good stuff!

Tootingbec · 04/09/2025 16:39

Hello - keen to go to Filia this year but I can’t seem to see a conference agenda. Only want to go for one day so want to pick the day I go based on who is speaking, topics being discussed etc has anyone else found what is happening on each day - can’t see it on the website….

ParmaVioletTea · 03/09/2025 10:46

@Seriestwo you say that you'll gain "the chance to meet up with like minded women and further my understanding and activism on the issues which concern me"

That seems to me to be good reason to go.

I'll be there on my own, but it's easy to chat to other women in various seminars, talks, and workshops.

For example, in a session on feminist activism in Portsmouth (I think?) the leader of the session asked us simply to talk to the woman sitting next to us and find out about her activism. I was overwhelmed with the amazingness of the women in that session - former Greenham Common protestors, a founder of Vancouver Rape Relief, and so on. My "oh I teach Women's Studies" seemed very pale by comparison, but it was accepted together with everyone else's far more amazing work. And I then had ways of talking to women in that session as the conference went on, because we'd already talked in this session. People are very friendly and want to connect with other women.

Also, I recommend women join their local Women's Rights Network (there's usually an "onboarding" meeting via Zoom to make sure you're a woman - appalling that that has to happen, but that's where we are,. Still, grrr.). I think there's a posse from my local WRN network going, and we'll meet up at some point during the weekend.

I just go around smiling like a loon because it's so relaxing being in the space & energy of over a 1000 women.

ThisIsMyGCname · 03/09/2025 09:30

I’m going! I think I might have met Tinsel at another event, and would have liked to see her at this, and to hear her speak. But I’m still going. On my own. Although I’ve not bought my train tickets I do have a place to stay. It’ll be nice to meet some of you there.

Seriestwo · 03/09/2025 00:57

I can’t decide whether to cancel going and miss out on the chance to meet up with like minded women and further my understanding and activism on the issues which concern me, or draw a line under the money I have spent already and not add more to it. It feels a bit of a lose/lose which Filia normally doesn’t

lanadelgrey · 02/09/2025 22:30

Like other events, it‘s a free choice whether to go. I look forward to meeting other MNetters down by the sea

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ArcheryAnnie · 02/09/2025 18:46

What are you seeking in the discussion here? I clicked on this thread because I am going. Do you think women shouldn't go?

Pluvia · 01/09/2025 15:56

The more I hear about what's been going on, the more unsettling I find it. I'm an organiser myself and I cut organisers some slack, but I see a certain direction of travel here, beyond the Tinsel issue, and all I can say is that it's not a direction I'm interested in going in.

TinselAngel · 01/09/2025 14:59

ArcheryAnnie · 01/09/2025 14:44

Of course I know Tinsel is a legend, @Pluvia! I'm not questioning her work or her expertise at all. I'm just saying that on many an occasion when organising events I've turned down legends in favour of other voices, and on other occasions the legends are just what I'm looking for. (On completely different subjects from this, of course, but the the principle stands.) You build a panel differently each time, with a whole load of factors feeding into each choice.

Tinsel, I understand that you are angry about this and I think I understand why. I was just trying to say there isn't aways the most nefarious reasons for why X, Y or X isn't on a panel. Unless its been stated baldly, I wouldn't ever assume that someone not on a panel had been snubbed for it.

Yes I gave them the benefit of the doubt on the previous three occasions that I suggested a panel (and was turned down for three different reasons), but this time when as I’ve said, the panel was my idea, it’s on a topic that I’ve built up virtually from scratch, at least one of the panel requested I be on it, and it’s about a film that I was instrumental in bringing about, I’m afraid my natural tendency to think the best of people’s intentions has worn out.

ArcheryAnnie · 01/09/2025 14:44

Pluvia · 01/09/2025 11:51

I'll do what I can, @GrumpyMenopausalWombWielder.

@ArcheryAnnie , Tinsel is a legend and has been very badly treated by the Filia organisers. If you have never attended Filia before you won't be aware of the half of it.

Of course I know Tinsel is a legend, @Pluvia! I'm not questioning her work or her expertise at all. I'm just saying that on many an occasion when organising events I've turned down legends in favour of other voices, and on other occasions the legends are just what I'm looking for. (On completely different subjects from this, of course, but the the principle stands.) You build a panel differently each time, with a whole load of factors feeding into each choice.

Tinsel, I understand that you are angry about this and I think I understand why. I was just trying to say there isn't aways the most nefarious reasons for why X, Y or X isn't on a panel. Unless its been stated baldly, I wouldn't ever assume that someone not on a panel had been snubbed for it.

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