By Adnan Hameed TWA ___ The Women International Film Festival (WIFF) held a special segment on Ukrainian Films in collaboration with the Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan and Black Box Sounds Studio on Tuesday, March 5th 2024 in Islamabad. The founder & director of the festival Madeeha Raza, spoke about the 8 years journey of this initiative and how it has exponentially and organically grown, giving independent filmmakers the much needed exposure and appreciation. The Ambassador of Ukraine to Pakistan, Markiian Chuchuk also highlighted the importance of such collaborations to build bridges between diverse people. As part of the festival run, the special Ukrainian Films Sidebar featured 7 short and feature films by female Ukrainian filmmakers. Judged by a jury panel comprising of esteemed filmmakers; Mehreen Jabbar, Usman Mukhtar and Marya Javed, the film ‘Mam’ by Anna Gnatenko-Shabaldina was also the first runner up of the festival and won a cash prize award of 150 Euros.

Over the years, WIFF has aimed to fill the gender gap in film, besides widening appreciation for independent cinema by creating a platform for diverse storytellers from all over the world. The festival opened on March 2nd with two days of public screenings at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), with the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan, Embassy of Spain in Pakistan, Ambassade De France Au Pakistan, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Islamabad, the British Council, and City Fm 89 as our official radio partner with JazzCash as our official connectivity partner.