Aswan Intl Women Film Festival to Celebrate Ladies of Cinema

The Aswan International Women Film Festival is back for its sixth edition, running from February 23rd to February 28th under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Founded in 2017 by acclaimed Egyptian screenwriter Mohamed Abdel Khalek, AIWFF is on a mission to recognise female achievement in filmmaking and to teach the craft to youth through workshops and screenings. This year, the festival will honour two female powerhouses that left an indelible mark on film history with their contributions. 

Veteran actress Sawsan Badr will be given the Isis Achievement Award for her invaluable contribution to cinema and her decades-long career. Badr is perhaps one of Egyptian cinema’s most recognizable faces. Her works tackled gender-based societal taboos, ventured into uncharted territory for women in the region and inspired generations of actors and actresses. Some of her most notable taboo-shattering films include ’Ehki Ya Scheherazade’, ‘Abwab Moghlaqa’, ‘El Shouq’, ‘Qas Wa Lazq’, ‘Asrar El Banat’, ‘678’, ‘El Farah’, and ‘Dunya’.

Somali director and women’s rights activist Hibaq Osman will be awarded the Note Award for her impact on women’s rights in the region, having founded the famous Karama Movement to End Violence against Women in the Middle East and North Africa. Osman raises awareness of the issues faced by women in the region through her films, such as ‘Sorry, I Refuse That Divorce’, ‘The Daily Life of a Modern Woman’, and ‘Dream Hunter’.

Other notable women that have been honored at AIWFF throughout the years are Egyptian actress Elham Shahin, chairwoman of the National Council for Women (NCW) Maya Morsy, Egyptian filmmaker Sandra Nashaat and Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar.