The annual Citizen Jane Film Festival is all about the ladies.

The festival seeks to bridge the overwhelming disparity between male and female filmmakers in the movie-making business, while also providing the public with provocative features and shorts. But don’t let the estrogen scare you away, boys. These films are for everyone, young and old, male and female.

I visited the festival for the first time last year and fell in love. The atmosphere is energetic, passionate and powerful. The people are diverse, bringing voices from Cuba and Switzerland, New Zealand and India. And the films? Well, let’s just say this’ll be the last time you ever tell someone to “stop being such a girl.”

Here are a few of the films I’ve selected from the festival’s extensive lineup of documentaries, features and shorts.

[**”A Teacher”**](http://cjff.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/ateacher_hannahfidell_cjff2013)
_75 min._
_Narrative feature_

“This is so wrong,” high school English teacher Diana says as she wipes the mascara smudges beneath her eyes.

In this controversial look at relationships, director Hannah Fidell explores the passionate love affair between a young teacher and her much-younger high school student. What starts as innocent physicality develops into a serious relationship, and with it come the risks — rumors, judgments and, most dangerous of all, attachment. As Diana becomes more and more consumed by her lust, she begins a descent into obsession, fear and, perhaps, madness.

I was simultaneously captivated and discomforted by the trailer, which promises an edgy, intrusive look at “forbidden love.”

_My call?_ It could be a hit, could be a miss. But let’s be honest, when’s the last time you watched something other than “Breaking Bad,” anyway?

[**”Forbidden Voices”**](http://cjff.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/forbiddenvoices_barbaramiller_cjff2013)
_96 min._
_Documentary feature_

“The truth terrifies dictatorships.”

These are the last, haunting words for this piercing film’s trailer. “Forbidden Voices” tells the true story of Yoani Sánchez, Zeng Jinyan and Farnaz Seifi, three women from three different countries running three different blogs.

Each one is risking her life to expose the crimes of her respective country’s dictatorship. Through internet posts and pictures viewed by 14 million people or more, these young women inspire a movement that threatens not just to be heard but to be reckoned with.

As a journalism major and fellow woman, I was immediately stunned by the trailer, which will no doubt show a unflinching eye to the corrupt societies of China, Cuba and Iran.

_My call?_ Go check it out. It will make you think, and it won’t be nearly as boring as “March of the Penguins.” I promise.

[**”Grow Up, Tony Phillips!”**](http://cjff.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/growuptonyphillips_emilyhagins_cjff2013)
_90 min._
_Narrative feature_

By the end of the trailer, I was cracking up. If a preview can make me laugh, I almost always go see a film.

“Grow Up, Tony Phillips!” explores the life of high school senior Tony, who’s obsessed with Halloween. _Obsessed._ None of his friends or family members can understand why he’s spending so much time gluing felt pieces and sewing buttons on his costume when he should be applying for college.

But young Mr. Phillips is bent on being the best trick-or-treater in town, and no one is going to stop him. Director Emily Hagins presents this touching, comedic take on what it means to never give up, never give in and never grow old.

_My call?_ Get there early, get front row seats. If this were “Mean Girls,” this movie would be the fetchest of the fetch.

[**”Wherever You Go”**](http://cjff.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/whereveryougo_ronnysassonangel_cjff2013)
_40 min._
_Narrative feature_

Zohara, a 30-year-old Jewish woman, is driving to her younger sister’s wedding, when a Bedouin woman named Neriman asks her for a ride. It sounds like a simple enough premise.

But wait until you hear that Zohara has been cut off from her family for years. And Neriman? She’s escaping a forced marriage she doesn’t want any part of. Roped together through coincidence, Zohara and Neriman begin a journey to discover their identities both as women and as their own individuals.

While the trailer left me feeling confused and unknowledgeable, the premise alone has extreme potential.

_My call?_ It’s worth a shot, but you could stay at home. After all, “Grey’s Anatomy” is calling.