The eighth edition of the Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF) opens Saturday night in Egypt's city of Aswan by the Nile River with a red-carpet ceremony. The annual event, attended by dozens of Egyptian and foreign artists, filmmakers and critics, sheds light on women's causes and rights in Egypt and the Middle East region through filmmaking. This year's festival runs until Thursday, attracting 76 selections of feature films and short films from 35 countries to rival in various competition sections. "The AIWFF is the first festival with a specialized program of filmmaking workshops for the youth in the region, led by industry professionals, bringing the educational opportunities and skills needed to Aswan," AIWFF director Hassan Abu-Ela told Xinhua. This year's edition has special programs for Sudanese and Palestinian films with a focus on women. Palestinian film director Rashid Masharawi said it is important for the Arab world's patriarchal society to shed light on the issues and problems facing women through cinema and film festivals. "The AIWFF is developing rapidly and the participation of movies, filmmakers and workers in the field is increasing notably every year, which means the festival is a real success," Egyptian film director Hala Khalil told Xinhua. |
Holmstrom scores goWednesday adds Steve Buscemi to highlyJudge hits the tiebreaking single in 9th as Yankees rally to avoid sweep with 6Vietnam’s ‘Provisional National Government’ offers empty promises, lawyers say — Radio Free AsiaKatie Couric tells Bill Maher that Trump support is born out of 'antiChina's gigantic telescope embraces int'l exchanges, innovative developmentOil consumption back to 2019 levelsTrump wins Idaho's Republican presidential caucusAmazon removed Just Walk Out from many of its own stores but wants to sell the system to othersKatie Couric tells Bill Maher that Trump support is born out of 'anti