Cairo International Women's Film Festival

The Cairo International Women's Film Festival (Arabic: مهرجان القاهرة الدولي لسينما المرأة‎) or CIWFF is an independent initiative dedicated to introducing films directed by women from around the world[2] — not necessarily addressing women's issues—to explore the perspectives of female filmmakers.[3]

Cairo International Women's Film Festival
CIWFF's Logo
LocationCairo, Egypt
Founded2008
AwardsAudience Award
No. of films53 films (74 screenings) at the 2017 edition[1]
Festival dateFebruary/March
LanguageAll films are subtitled in Arabic and English
WebsiteCIWFF Official Website

The founder and directors of the festival emphasize its goal to be serving as a platform through which films created by women are introduced to the audience as well as 'a meeting point for the audience and filmmakers'.[4] To that end, films are screened at no fee[5] with both English and Arabic subtitles[6] and Q&A sessions, panels and master classes are held with guests of the festival.[7]

History

The festival first came to existence in 2008 in the form of Entre Cineastas (Arabic: بين سينمائيات‎) or the Caravan of Arab and Latin American Women's Films (Arabic: قافلة سينما المرأة العربية واللاتينية‎).[8] The caravan was held in various Arab, Latin American and Spanish cities.[9] Over the years, the initiative developed to, eventually, expand into the Cairo International Women's Film Festival, and include the Caravan as one of many sections of the festival.[1]

Sections, events and activities

Throughout the festival, master classes and panels are held to introduce filmmakers to the audience and open the floor for themes or film-based discussions.

One pillar of the festival is the One Minute Workshop (Arabic: ورشة أفلام الدقيقة الواحدة‎). This is a workshop instructed by filmmaker and founder of CIWFF, Amal Ramsis, where she teaches non-professional women the basics of making short films in order to write, act, shoot and direct one-minute long films addressing a selected concept. It is held several times around the year in various cities and towns around Egypt and the Arab World, Latin America and Europe in collaboration with the TRAMA network and Drac Màgic—the women's film festival that had launched the initiative in 1997.[10]

Sections of the festival change with every edition.[11] One integral section, however, is the Caravan.[12] Every edition also celebrates one prominent female filmmaker by screening a selection of her films in a section titled ′Tribute to a Cineaste′ and inviting her to conduct Q&A sessions and a panel.[13] Other recurring sections are the International Panorama, the Country in Focus and the Guest Festival—which is often a partner women's film festival.[14]

Award

CIWFF features one award: The Audience Award. It was first introduced in the 6th edition (2013). All films qualify except films from the Caravan, the Tribute and the Workshop. Through public vote, one film is selected to receive the award. No committee has any say in the selection. Should the audience vote for a short film, the award is divided between the first- and the second-ranking films. It is, then, presented to the director of the winning film—if present—and the film is screened on closing night.

Some films that have won the Audience Award are:

Year Film Title Original Title Director(s)
2017 Aya Goes to the Beachآية والبحرMaryam Touzani
2016 Trip Along Exodus[15]رحلة في الرحيلHend Choufani
2014 Wooden Handيد اللوحKouther Ben Henia
Profession: Documentarist[16]Herfeh: MostanadsazFarahnaz Sharifi, Firouzeh Khosrovani, Mina Keshavarz, Nahid Rezaei, Sahar Salahshoor, Sepideh Abtahi, Shirin Barghnavard
2013 Silent CitySilent CityThrees Anna

See also

References
  1. "Cairo International Women Film Festival". Cairowomenfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  2. "Cairo International Women Film Festival". Cairowomenfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  3. "The 7th Cairo International Women's Film Festival Kicks Off". YouTube. 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  4. "Ninth Cairo International Women's Film Festival hosts 60 international movies". Daily News Egypt. 2016-02-28. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  5. "Cairo International Women's Film Festival: Unique Festival Returns For Seventh Edition | | Cairo 360 Guide to Cairo, Egypt". Cairo360.com. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  6. "Portail du film documentaire". Film-documentaire.fr. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  7. "Cairo International Women Film Festival". Cairowomenfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  8. "INTERVIEW: Filmmaker Amal Ramsis on the 9th Cairo Int'l Women's Film Festival - Film - Arts & Culture - Ahram Online". English.ahram.org.eg. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  9. "9th Cairo International Women's Film Festival" (PDF). Cairowomenfilmfest.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  10. "Cairo International Women Film Festival". Cairowomenfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  11. "7th Cairo International Women's Film Festival makes strong comeback". Egypt Independent. 2014-11-27. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  12. "Cairo International Women Film Festival". Cairowomenfilmfest.com. 2014-11-16. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  13. "Dutch Filmmaker at the Cairo International Women's Film Festival | Netherlands Embassy in Cairo, Egypt". Egypt.nlembassy.org. Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  14. "Cairo International Women Film Festival". Cairowomenfilmfest.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  15. "Trip Along Exodus • كُلفة الثورة ومسيرة إلياس شوفاني بـ«رحلة في". Tripalongexodus.com. 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  16. "فاز بجائزة الجمهور هذا العام: فيلم يد... - Cairo International Women's Film Festival | Facebook". Facebook. 2014-12-04. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
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