Islamabad : The third edition of Women International Film Festival (WIFF) will be held from the March 4th to the 9th at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).The event has been made possible through the kind support of the European Union (EU).
Launched in March 2016, this film festival has been bringing together aspiring female filmmakers to celebrate their stories, struggles and successes through the medium of film. It has become a platform for women to speak about their multifaceted roles in society.
This year the WIFF has been able to expand its programming to become a multi-day festival. Five films directed by women film makers will be screened, followed by a short Q&A session with international film expert and curator of the program, Gabrielle Kelly.
As ‘Women Through Film’ is an initiative that was established to provide aspiring female filmmakers with opportunities to hone their creative skills and find a platform for better exposure and appreciation, the WIFF will dedicate Saturday March 9 to screening short films selected in its film competition. These have been made and submitted by independent women filmmakers from around the world and are based on highly pertinent social themes of our time. To give filmmakers, film aficionados and like-minded individuals the opportunity to interact and engage with each other, the competition screenings will conclude with an award ceremony followed by a panel discussion on ‘Fostering Cultural Diplomacy through Cinema.’
This year a three day, ‘Parwaaz’ short film script lab for ten participants will be held who will develop short film scripts over three days of immersive screenwriting training in Islamabad. Following this, online support will be provided to complete the screenplays which will resound with the voices of Pakistan’s storytellers, sharing with us their dreams and their talent.
March 4th. ‘Summer’ 1993 directed by Carla Simon (Spain) 100 minutes. A six year old orphaned girl makes a new life with her relatives in the countryside
March 5th. ‘Thirst’ directed by Svetla Tsotsorkova (Bulgaria) 90 minutes. A poor family searches for water to wash hotel sheets which is their livelihood but when a father and daughter show up to solve the problem, other issues soon surface
March 6th. ‘Padre’ directed by Giada Colagrande (Italy) 90 minutes. A woman searches for her father in the afterlife.
March 7th. ‘Home is Here’ by Teresa Kotyk (Austria) 75 minutes. A troubled young woman breaks into the house of an older man to live out her personal dreams. When they finally meet both realize home can only be found within oneself
March 8th. ‘Sami Blood’ directed by Amanda Kernell (Sweden) 113 minutes. An indigenous Sami girl in 1930s Sweden is exposed to racism and has to break ties with her family in order to survive
March 9th. Competition Event: International Women’s Day ‘Open Mic Night,’ at 3:30 pm sharp to 5:45 pm short films' screening. 5:45 pm to 6:30 pm Panel Discussion. 6:30 pm to 6:40 pm - announcement of winners. 6:40 pm to 7:00 pm a musical performance followed by a reception. Registration is open at infowomenthroughfilm.com