THE 20th edition of the annual International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) 2023 is scheduled to take place from 28 November to 2 December in Harare.
The festival which is free admission will include film screenings, opening and closing ceremonies and three masterclasses.
The Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa (ICAPA) Trust, Assistant Projects Coordinator and Festival Manager, Tafadzwa Chovuchovu said they are excited for Harare to experience everything that they have prepared.
“The films were carefully curated to suit various audiences and we encourage people to come and enjoy the screenings and discussions at all our venues,” she told EnterSportNews.
IIFF’s theme for this year is Women of Hope. Film screenings will take place at Batanai Gardens (B2C) in the Central Business District, Alliance Francaise (328 Herbert Chitepo Avenue) and Dzivarasekwa Community Centre Hall 1.
The opening film this year is NOME directed by Sana Na N’handa and released in May 2023. The closing film is THE LAST QUEEN directed by Adila Bendimerad and released in April this year.
“The theme Women of Hope seeks to explore the stories of women who are still on their journey after deciding on which path to take at the crossroads, they are hopeful that at the end of the path they will achieve their goals and realise their many different and complex dreams, no matter their station in life,” added Chovuchovu.
There is a special screening on 30 November in partnership with the Embassy of Australia in Zimbabwe. An Australian Film titled TOP END WEDDING will be showing.
IIFF will also be hosting two 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence screenings and receptions, which were sponsored by The Embassy of Netherlands in Zimbabwe. The films to be screened at these two events are DALVA and WE DON’T TALK.
These receptions will be held at the Alliance Francaise on 29 November and 1 December respectively.
However, Chovuchovu laments funding problems that IIFF has faced.
“ICAPA Trust is non-profit making organisation therefore we rely on donor funds to be able to host the Festival,” she said.
“It is a free event therefore we cannot generate income by selling tickets.”
“We have overcome this challenge through applying for grants and fundraising through the GoFundMe platform, as we did again last year.”
IIFF is hosted each year by the ICAPA Trust. Founded in 2002, IIFF is an exhibition platform for films that portray a woman in at least one major role, thus providing role modelling for African women to observe other women in film being active, displaying agency and impacting positively on their own lives and communities.
