Zubair Qureshi
In connection with International Women’s Day, the opening ceremony of Women International Film Festival kicked off Tuesday. The event was a joint effort of the Embassy of France, Embassy of Germany, British Council, and Serena Hotel Islamabad while its official radio partner was FM-89.
Ambassador of France Nicolas Galey and German Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck, were among the noted guests who attended the ceremony and commended the efforts of Women Through Film and its founder & curator, Madeeha Raza.
On the first day, Arab Blues – a French feature film was screened. The film follows a woman who after years abroad in Paris, returns home to Tunis with the dream of opening up her own psychotherapy practice. The director – Ms. Manele Labidi herself was also present virtually for a Q&A session following the screening.
WIFF team thanked the partners who made this year’s edition possible *closing remarks*
Every year, the film festival runs from March 8 to March 13 with intercity screenings in Faisalabad and Peshawar, and public screenings set to take place on March 11 and March 12 at the PNCA Islamabad.
This year the festival is screening 14 films made by women from all over the world, including three films by Pakistani filmmakers, namely The Mirage City by Areeba Imran, Khan by Mariam Majid and Teddy 2.0 by Fatima Butt. Besides these films, the festival will also feature films received from Australia, Egypt, Estonia, France, India, Iran, Mexico, and Russia.
Two feature length films – It is Not Over Yet in collaboration with the Royal Danish Embassy, and Fly Away Home in collaboration with the Austrian embassy, will also be showcased. The latter will screen on the closing day on March 13th.
