NAGHAM KARAJAH

Gaza- A one-day Women’s Film Festival was held in the Gaza Strip by the Women's Affairs Center (WAC) to mark the National Day of Palestinian Women, observed every year on October 26. During the 8th Women’s Film Festival, films addressing the sufferings of Palestinian and Arab women, gender-based violence, femicide and social issues, were screened.

“The aim of the festival is to support women”

Amal Siam, Director of the Women's Affairs Center, told NuJINHA that 12 films from Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and Morocco were screened at the festival to highlight women’s issues, the role of women and the most important challenges faced by Palestinian and Arab women. She also sad that the films screened at the festival were about violence against women, femicide, migration, the problems faced by women journalists while covering the Israeli attacks and women prisoners in Israeli prisons. “The aim of the festival is to support women,” she added.

22 films from the Gaza Strip

Palestinian filmmaker Etimad Wshah said, “The festival is an effective step to address women's issues that are considered taboo in our conservative society. This year, the Women’s Affairs Center announced a competition for the best films addressing women’s issues. 22 films from the Gaza Strip were submitted to the competition and four scenarios addressing women’s issues, the resistance of Palestinian women were selected.”

“This festival aims to shed light on women’s cinema”

Speaking about the aims of the festival, Rima Mahmoud, the director of the film “فنجان قهوة (English: Coffee Cup)”, said, “This festival aims to shed light on women’s cinema and highlight the creativity of Palestinian and Arab women, and to bring their creativity out of the shadows into the light as women with intellectual and cultural creativity. The festival also aims to build a network between Palestinian female filmmakers and international female filmmakers.” Speaking about her film, which won the competition at the festival, Rima Mahmoud said, “The film tells the reality and suffering of women and girls in Palestine.”