Vishakh: Spotlight on women
Women's film festival in Gaza aims to break 'spiritual siege'
Organizer says festival aimed at placing spotlight on women's cinema, stressing their artistic abilities
The Center for Women's Affairs in Gaza is currently overseeing a festival of films directed by Palestinian women.
The festival, named 'Through women's eyes', screens movies dealing with the Arab custom of the murder of women who "disgraced the family" by male family members, as well as films that deal with the status of Palestinian women in the territories and the Arab world.
The festival's coordinator, Iatimad Vishakh, told Ynet that the group's aim was to "break the spiritual siege on the people, especially the women who came and participated and watched the screenings, as well as the siege imposed on women who work in the industry and the siege on the Strip".
"When we bring movies from Lebanon, Egypt, Algeria, and other places – this is a way to break the siege," she added.
Vishakh said the festival's aim was to place the spotlight on women's cinema and to stress the artistic abilities of the Palestinian and Arab woman, to pull the creative woman from the shadows into the light and to develop Palestinian cinematic capabilities.
The festival will also host workshops on the Gazan women, the female image in the Arab world, the way in which the woman is reflected in Palestinian cinema, and the production and marketing of films.
