With our collaborating partners – Pakistan Film Society of Islamabad, Library Circles and SAP Communications, the vibrant film festival took place on May 17, 2025. With more than 730 submissions, the festival selected and showcased 11 short films received from Iran, France, Spain, Lebanon, Egypt, Canada, and Sweden, out of which three films made by Pakistani filmmakers, Hum Awaaz, On the Mountain, and Untied were also showcased. 

With the support of Embassy of Spain in Pakistan, Ambassade De France Au Pakistan, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Islamabad, Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan, the British Council, this year the film festival spanned over six days. With more than 1,300 submissions, the two-day event showcased 31 short and feature length films received from UK, Iran, France, Germany, Ukraine, Spain, Lebanon, Egypt, Russia, Estonia, Poland, Japan, Mexico, Italy, Canada, Chile, Turkey and Argentina, out of which five films made by Pakistani filmmakers, Hum Awaaz, Made with Love, Prolific Hustling, Woman of Courage, and 10 more minutes were also showcased.

Women International Film Festival 2022

With the support of the Ambassade de France au Pakistan, the German Embassy in Pakistan and British Council, this year the film festival spanned over six days showing short and feature length films made by women from France, Iran, Mexico, Russia, India, Estonia, Australia, Austria, Denmark and Egypt that were received by the audience with keen interest. The event also showcased two Pakistani films.

Keeping in mind the SOPs to be followed due to the ongoing pandemic, the film festival had a smaller opening and closing event this year, along with open air public screenings spread over two days. The opening ceremony screened a French film – Arab Blues and had a virtual Q/A session with the director, Manele Labidi. This was followed by two days of intercity screenings at the Government College University Faisalabad and IMSciences Peshawar. Then we held two days of public screenings followed by a closing ceremony which screened an Austrian film – Maikafer Flieg (Fly Away Home) – in collaboration with the Austrian Embassy Islamabad.

Women International Film Festival 2021

With the support of Ambassade de France au Pakistan, the German Embassy in Pakistan, and City FM 89, the fifth edition of the WIFF launched in March 2021. Due to Covid restrictions, the event was hosted completely online catering to multiple time zones with the intention of reaching out to broader audiences.

The public online screening was available to the public on YouTube from 27th to 28th March. Out of 250 worldwide submissions, 24 feature films were selected to be part of the event. Following the end of each screening, there was a panel discussion live-streamed via Streamyard. The theme was “Female Stereotypes in Storytelling: The Cultural and Social Limitation.” Through this opportunity, discussions covered topics like the female representation that films have seen historically and how this historic baggage affects the modern-day portrayal of a character, or if it affects it at all. On both days, panels were moderated by Vaishnavi Sundar a self-taught filmmaker, writer, and founder of Women Making Films, an international community that is known for its effort to bring female filmmakers together. Our panellists included Parisa Sedaei Azar (Iran), Astrid Askberger (Sweden), Nida Kirmani (Pakistan), Aisha Linnea and Anya Raza (Pakistan), Jaye Sarah Davidson (USA), and Boyka Boneva and Melina Kalfanti (Greece).

Women International Film Festival 2020

With the support of the German Cooperation in Pakistan, in association with the Austrian Embassy, FACE, Serena Hotel, and official radio partner FM91, the 4th edition of the WIFF made rounds at different university campuses across the twin cities as well as its venturing into Peshawar for the first time.

The panel  discussion was held at the opening ceremony which was held at the Serena hotel. The discussion titled as Freedom of Expression and the Burden of Censorship, explored the politics of film censorship and the limits of tolerance and sensitivity associated with the censorship regime. A lively discussion ensued between the panelists, that featured Ms. Tazeen Bari (Documentary Filmmaker), Ms. Samar Minallah (Anthropologist and Documentary Filmmaker), and Ms. Safina Syma Khar (Member Censor Board). The panel was moderated by Ms. Madeeha Raza herself (Founder & Curator WIFF). The Public screenings of 14 films were scheduled at the FACE (Foundation of Arts, Culture, and Education) in Islamabad from 14th to 15th March.

Women International Film Festival 2019

The festival spanned for  6 days, with the first 5 days of the event showing feature-length films made by female filmmakers from Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, and Sweden, that were received by the audience with keen interest. Many voiced their opinion that they wished to see such cinema being screened in Pakistan in the future as well.

To commemorate International Women’s Day, WIFF also organized an Open Mic Night on 8th March that took place after the film screening. The event saw local artists take to the stage and present their stories about women and the struggle for gender rights and equality.

On the final day, 9th March, the headliner event for WIFF was held where 13 short films, which were shortlisted from thousands from all over the world, were screened. Women from around the world including Bulgaria, Iran, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and the United States, besides some from Pakistan, submitted films that were screened at the event. The themes for this year were Child Abuse, Helping Hands, and Sexual Harassment. The discussion panel for this year, titled Fostering Cultural Diplomacy through Cinema, explored the role films have played, especially in the South Asian context, to define and change perspectives on culture and norms. A lively discussion ensued between the panelists. This was followed by a live performance by a local band to add to the festival experience. After the closing ceremony, a reception was arranged for the guests to interact with each other.

Women International Film Festival 2018

With the support of the European Union Cooperation in Pakistan, Women Through Film hosted the Women International Film Festival film 2018 that screened some of the most resonant and thought-provoking films made by talented independent filmmakers from around the world, purveying important messages on gender equality, women & child rights, and telling stories of inspiring women.

The main event comprised of a grand film screening, besides panel discussions and live performances, followed by a reception/hi-tea. Going in reverse, Panel B started by screening Tanzeen Bari’s 30-minute film “Matkay pay Thappa’ followed by an engaging discussion with the filmmaker herself, Sehar Tariq (representative of Shireen Rehman), and the panel moderator Ms. Rukshanda Naz (Gender and women right Activists). The Panel A was centered on self-empowerment of filmmakers featuring two of our talented filmmakers Ibrahim Rana and Namra Nasir, whose films were showcased at the event, along with our Irish film trainer Gabrielle Kelly who had joined us for the Parwaaz film lab.

The film festival closed with the prize distribution, with Fatima Hussaini from Tajikistan, winning first place for her film Screaming Silence. Nmara Nasir from Pakistan secured second place for her She for Her. Third place was awarded to Suruchi Sharma from India, for her film The Dusk. The evening concluded with a musical performance by Dania Adil and Mubbashir Sheikh.

As part of the capacity building component, WIFF held the Parwaaz Film Lab where registered/shortlisted filmmakers had the opportunity to learn ‘The Art of Cinematic Storytelling’ in a day-long lab from film experts coming all the way from Europe.

Women International Film Festival 2017

The first of its kind Women International Film Festival was successfully kicked off on the 11th of March 2017 at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad. The two-day festival took place during women’s week, featuring 17 films by amateur filmmakers from Pakistan and around the world. Films came in from countries including Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Nigeria, UK, and Mexico.

A panel of venerated judges from within the media world judged the films on the basis of set criteria. These included New York-based producer and director Marilyn Agrelo, Pakistani documentary film-maker and journalist Haya Fatima Iqbal, Pakistani TV and film director Anjum Shahzad, UK-based human rights activist Mandy Sanghera and renowned Pakistani film and music video director Yasir Jaswal. On the first day, a panel discussion was held, with the guest representation of prominent figures including Aaron Haroon Rashid, Jamal Shah, Sadaf Raza, and Naima Ansari, highlighting the role of women in film, and the importance of promoting female voices in the industry.

The second day featured a panel discussion with eminent guests including Mishi Khan, Shamoon Hashmi, Kanwal Naseer, and Halimah Tariq. This was followed by a Q&A session with the audience that promoted a healthy exchange of ideas regarding using film as a catalyst for social change in the form of women empowerment. The discussion regarding the dire need for women’s empowerment in Pakistan was not only enlightening but also inspiring.

The panel discussion was followed by the much-awaited announcement of the top three winners, with Ashique Mostafa from Bangladesh, winning first place for her film: Statement After My Poet Husband’s Death. Shikha Janet Alagh, from India, secured second place for Deaf Ears. Third place was awarded to Sangeeta Nambiar, from Malaysia, for Rahayu: Her Road to Freedom. To top it off, the evening was concluded with an invigorating musical performance by Mizraab Khawar, the lead vocalist for an underground band.