HELEN AHMED

Sulaymaniyah — The sixth edition of the Sulaymaniyah International Film Festival witnessed a notable participation by a number of women artists and filmmakers, and a group of women also participated as members of jury committees in different sections of the festival. On its final day, the film "Woman, Life, Freedom" won first prize in its category.

Despite the notable participation of women, their presence in the field of film directing was lower compared to their overall participation in the festival. In the sixth edition, the number of films directed by women was limited—a matter that raises important questions about the reasons for their lower participation in film production and directing.

Social, professional, and financial challenges may be among the main reasons limiting women's opportunities to access directing, which raises a question about how to provide greater opportunities for women in the field of cinema and filmmaking.

"Challenges That Constituted an Obstacle for Women Directors"

Yasmin Sharif Manesh, a journalist, documentary filmmaker, and member of the jury committee at the sixth edition of the Sulaymaniyah Festival, noted that despite her work with the jury committee, there is still much work to be done in the field of documentary films, including increasing women's participation.

She said that women's participation in the sixth edition of the Sulaymaniyah Film Festival appeared at a low level, affirming the necessity of encouraging and supporting women to participate in documentary films and festivals.

She added: "Just as life needs women, film also needs the participation of women and women directors. This was the first time I participated as a member of the festival's jury committee; in other years, I followed women's roles and participation."

She believes that "it is very necessary for women to participate as directors in documentary films, so that we can convey various aspects of women's lives, the challenges they face, as well as their successes."

She explained that women's efforts at the festival were clear through the films they presented: "Despite the challenges, women made efforts to convey the messages their films carry to an average level of audience. We cannot say that Kurdish women filmmakers are still at the beginning of the road, but their efforts and struggle appear through their films, and they can later become much stronger in facing the challenges women face at present."

It is not easy in Kurdish society, as she says, for a woman to become a director and make a film: "We are talking about the small number of women directors, but Kurdish women, with their courage, find ways to confront these challenges. We are talking about the absence of women filmmakers, directors, and actresses, but we must realize that Kurdish women live in a society that does not easily accept such women."

Yasmin Sharif Manesh says that the scale of obstacles a woman faces when working in cinema is compounded by being from Eastern Kurdistan and having moved between Tehran and a number of countries: "At present, there is a degree of awareness, but it has not yet reached a level that could make us feel satisfied, and therefore women face very great challenges."

Allocating Space for Women

She stressed the necessity of allocating a special award for women directors, to serve as "support and encouragement for women." She also proposes allocating a section for women, in order to "provide greater opportunities for them in the field of directing and increase their participation."

In conclusion, Yasmin Sharif Manesh said that festivals are not merely places to screen films but are places for exchanging ideas and viewpoints and creating different works. Therefore, she believes it is necessary to allocate a special space for women filmmakers or to dedicate a section for screening women's films.