El-Gouna, Egypt: Alongside celebrities gracing the red carpet at film festivals in Egypt, the traditional powerhouse of regional cinema, young Arab women directors are making their mark with documentaries tackling subjects ranging from femicide to revolution.
Taking a break from networking at the El-Gouna Film Festival on the Red Sea in October, Iraqi actress and director Zahraa Ghandour, 30, discussed her feature documentary "Women of my Life".
"The main theme is the life and death of young women and girls in Iraq. It explores how Iraqi society deals with femicide as if it’s normal," she told AFP. Ghandour said that "in the last few years, a new generation has come to the fore born in the 90s and 2000s with a new direction", especially after October 2019 protests calling for the toppling of the ruling class in Iraq.
"We want to break free from the stereotypes that world cinema boxes us into," she said. "It’s like there are trends and they (international backers) want us to fit into these funding guidelines," said Ghandour. "What if I want to make a horror movie? I want to make what I want as long as it’s of high quality."