INTERNATIONAL Images for Women Film Festival (IIFF) acting director Molleen Chisveto has announced a memorable IIFF festival as she has lined up a high-end edutainment IIFF 22nd edition set to begin this Friday.
The festival, which champions bold and transformative cinema under the theme Women Make the World a Better Place, will run from August 22 to 26.
As Zimbabwe officially declared 2025 the Year of Film, the 22nd edition of the IIFF sets the tone with a bold, visionary celebration of women-centred storytelling.
With a curated line-up of 15 edutainment films, masterclasses led by international filmmakers and the backing of several embassies and partners, IIFF is billed to be a cultural movement aligning perfectly with the national goal of elevating Zimbabwe’s film sector.
The film fiesta is happening at the Alliance Française, Dzivarasekwa (DZ) 1 Community Hall, National Gallery of Zimbabwe and Nhaka Gallery.
“The International Images Film Festival for Women is back again for its 22nd edition, running from August 22 to 26,” Chisveto wrote.
“We are excited to bring you a lineup of women-centred films with the theme Women Make the World a Better Place.
“The theme draws attention to how women remain resolute in their pursuit of a better world for themselves and their communities by being brave and courageous, by claiming their rightful places in economic activities, by demanding justice and by taking leadership in order to challenge a repressive patriarchal world that has brought horrors like planet-destroying climate change and a resurgence of racism and gender discrimination to our world.”
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She added that IIFF, with a vast room for sponsorship to uplift standards, is abundantly grateful for the unrelenting support from the embassy of the Republic of Ireland for supporting the Documentary Production Masterclass and the festival, the embassy of Switzerland for hosting the opening film and reception, the embassy of Spain for sponsoring the Business of Film Masterclass.
The embassy of Japan has sponsored the screening of the film And The Baton Was Passed, which was directed by Tetsu Maeda, while Alliance Française provided the venue.
Elixir also came on board as a corporate partner.
The festival opens with Hanami, a production from Switzerland, Cape Verde and Portugal (2024), directed by Denise Fernandes.
Hanami is a story about Nana’s journey through three stages of her life, who as a toddler was abandoned by her mother, a feverish child on a surreal adventure and a teenager haunted by her past.
Home, by up-and-coming Kenyan director Adelle Onyango, closes the festival.
Home depicts a young lady’s journey of self-discovery and body acceptance, also highlighting the clash between cultural celebration, familial expectations and societal shame.
Other films to be shown at the festival include Cameroonian film Ayo (2024), directed by Yolande Eckel and Françoise Ellong-Gomez.
Ayo follows the story of a young woman skilled in assisting with births from a young age, who faces the growing pressure of starting her own family while hiding a secret.
A Spanish production, Los Tortugas (The Exiles) (2024), directed by Belen Funes, will also be shown at the festival. The film follows the story of a mother and daughter, who, through their shared pain, must find a way to support each other in a fragile economy, while they process the loss of a husband and father.
Irish documentary filmmaker Siobhán Cleary and Spanish producer Alba Bosch-Duran will conduct free masterclasses in Documentary Filmmaking and Film Business, respectively.
Cleary, who founded the Green Shoots Festival in her country, is an advocate for sustainable film practice, while Bosch-Duran, who is a member of the women’s film collective Dones Visuals based in Barcelona, works to increase women filmmakers participation in film as a business venture.
Cleary participates at the festival courtesy of the embassy of the Republic of Ireland in Pretoria, while Bosch-Duran’s participation is sponsored the embassy of Spain in Harare.
Nhaka Gallery executive director Hellen Matsvisi shall officially open the festival as the guest of honour, where Hanami, a 2024 co-production directed by Denise Fernandes, will be screened at 1730hrs at Nhaka Gallery.
Unesco regional director for southern Africa Ms Nisha will have the honour of closing the festival, where Home, a 2025 Kenyan short film by Onyango, will wrap up the festival at the Alliance Française de Harare, underscoring the festival’s tradition of ending with a film that leaves a lasting impression.
