Dubai, in the first week of March, will host the fourth edition of ‘World of Women Film Fair Middle East Festival’ (isn’t that a mouthful?).
The film festival, which will be held from 5th to 8th March this year, focuses on the talent of women directors, producers, writers, editors and cinematographers all over the world. This is apparently the first of its kind in the Arab world. It is a showcase of films by women, about women, that aims at “seeing the world through the eyes of women”, and promoting women in the fields of film, television and other screen industries.
One of the films to be screened at the festival is Sounds of the Sea by Emirati director Nujoom Al Ghanem, about a boy who enlists the help of his teacher to revive an old sea song. Another film Sea Shadow by Nawaf Al Janahi which is the love story of two Emirati villagers will also be screened.
With recent talk about the gender gap in salaries in both Bollywood and Hollywood by Priyanka Chopra and Natalie Portman, the festival is a welcome effort to call attention to the stories and work of women in the film industry. And if you can’t make it to Dubai, here are a list of short films made by Indian women, and here is a list of Indian feminist documentaries, so you can have a women’s film festival right at home.