The eighth edition of Aswan International Women’s Film Festival (AIWFF) took off in Egypt’s southernmost city of Aswan and its gateway into Africa, some 800km south of Cairo, on 20 April 2024; it runs till 25 April.
The festival is screening 76 films from all over the world, films that focus on women’s issues and rights. It features documentaries from the Awareness for Community Development programme and the Diarna exhibition, showcasing heritage products and crafts made by women.
Tunisia has been announced as the country of honour of the AIWFF in recognition of the outstanding cinematic achievements of this country regarding works directed by women or tackling women-related issues.
Among the Tunisian films showing at AIWFF are Four Daughters (Les Filles d’Olfa) which has gained international acclaim and is competing in AIWFF Feature Film Category, Written and directed by Kaouther Ben Hania; and Backstage by Atef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane, which also compete in the Feature Film Category.
The festival is also hosting numerous filmmakers from Egypt and the international scene, who will participate in workshops, seminars and talks.
Aswan International Women Film Festival was established in 2017 as the first Egyptian film festival that focuses on cinematic works representing women’s issues, celebrating their success stories and supporting female filmmakers in Egypt and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
The opening ceremony this year was attended by Aswan Governor Ashraf Attiya; Culture Minister Nevine al-Kilany; Social Solidarity Minister Nevine al-Kabbag; and Maya Morsy, President of the National Council for Women (NCW); also by well a host of filmmakers and critics.
This year’s opening night started by paying tribute to illustrious actor and comedian Salah al-Saadani (1943 – 2024) who had died one day earlier, and by reviewing the films participating in the festival.
Ms Kabbag gave special greetings to everyone who contributes to supporting women’s issues. “Cinema and drama are soft powers, discussing various issues concerning all members of society, especially women,” she noted. The AIWFF, she noted, introduces films that penetrate the communal conscience regarding women’s issues. Art, she said, is a means of change and not just some way of expression.
Upper Egypt’s women in general and Aswan women in specific, she remarked, form the pillars of the Upper Egyptian society.
The Social Solidarity Minister spoke of Palestinian women, mourning the many of them who lost their lives to the war. She lauding the resilience of those who suffered the extreme hardship brought on by the war. She also lamented the abuse suffered by Sudanese women during the conflict and violence taking place in Sudan.
In her word, Culture Minister Ms Kilany, said that the AIWFF has been able to leave a prominent impact by highlighting the role of women in the community, discussing their issues, and displaying their creativity.
Aswan Governor, Major General Attiya, welcomed the festival guests, and lauded the the festival’s success in making Aswan the ‘capital of cinema’. He thanked the NCW and the European Union for their support of women’s issues through the festival.
AIWFF director Hassan Abul-Ela spoke, taking pride in the growth achieved by the festival over its eight years. “We started eight years ago with two competitions and 30 films; today we have 76 films competing in six categories. We held one workshop, but today we have the biggest training programme among those of all film festivals of youth and women.
For her part, Mervat al-Tallawi, head of the board of trustees of AIWFF, drew attention to the great impact of women’s films, saying that some of these films in Egypt led to changes in the law, making it more fair to women.
In conclusion, the festival honoured Christian Berger, Head of the European Delegation to Egypt, for the EU’s support of the festival.
Also honoured as exemplary figures of Aswan festival women were Tunisian actress Hend Sabry for her distinguished cinematic roles; Tunisian film editor Kahena Attia; Mona al-Sabban, professor at the High Institute of Cinema; and Ghada Abu-Zeid, Deputy Governor of Aswan.
Watani International
22 April 2024