ISLAMABAD: The Women International Film Festival (WIFF) will continue at Karachi on March 16 after successful public screenings of 18 short films of different countries at Islamabad.
The WIFF kick started on March 10 at the federal capital. The opening ceremony was hosted by the Alliance Françaised’ Islamabad, which also included in its programme a showcase of five episodes from the animated French series Culottées.
The public screenings followed on the 11th and 12th March at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), with the support of the Embassy of France in Pakistan and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Islamabad, with FM89 as our official radio partner.
The event was opened by the festival’s founder and curator, Madeeha Raza, who spoke about the 7-year journey of this platform successfully showcasing films made by women from across the world. The German Ambassador to Pakistan, Alfred Grannas, highlighted the importance of strong female voices in the film industry.
The two-day event showcased 18 short films received from countries including Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Turkey, UK, and the USA, besides Pakistan.
The films received from Pakistan were “My Mother’s Daughter” by Ahmen Khawaja and Mariam Khan, Baira Gharakh by Mehreen Jabbar, and “Awaaz” by Halimah Tariq. Unfortunately, “My Mother’s Daughter” could not be screened, as the film was censored by the Central Board of Film Censors.
Judged by a jury panel comprising esteemed filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, the Best Film award went to the film 48 hours by Azadeh Moussavi from Iran. The film follows the story of a man who after three years in prison, is given a furlough to go home and given an ultimatum of 48 hours to become a father to his four-year-old daughter.
The film screenings ended with a panel discussion on “Mobilising support for filmmakers,” with local film producers and directors like Hamza Gurmani, Halimah Tariq, and Marya Javed. The panel discussed how to garner support for emerging local filmmakers, and served a great opportunity for attendees to learn how to overcome funding and other production challenges.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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