St. Francis College's fifth annual Women's Film Festival is being held virtually on Zoom due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Associate Professor Augusta Palmer tells News 12 that her students, who created the festival this year, worked hard to select the short films.

There were 286 submissions from across the world, with women holding key roles behind the scenes - most of them directors.

Students chose 44 of the short films to screen next week.

Palmer says eight awards are up for grabs, and that the festival will also feature keynote speakers that will discuss filmmaking and story-telling.

The festival is free for everyone and people can take part through the St. Francis College website.