THE 12th edition of the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) is currently in full swing at various venues in Harare, showcasing exciting films depicting this year’s theme Women Alive: Women of Peace.
Report by Tinashe Sibanda
For the first time, IIFF has partnered Images of Black Women (IBW) Film Festival in London for this year’s edition.
IBW, directed by Sylviane Rano, is a festival that screens films on or by women of colour.
Also partnering IIFF for the fourth year is another festival called Afrykamera from Polland.
Afrykamera is directed by Przemyslaw Stepien, who has curated part of the IFFF programme.
One of the productions on show at IIFF is a 52-minute 2009 feature film Angel from Ecuador, produced by Laurent Segal and directed by Sebastiano d’Ayala Valva. The film depicts the life of Angel, a former boxer from Ecuador who moves to France and becomes a transsexual prostitute.
His motivation is to support his family back home through prostitution.
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Angel is confronted with the harsh reality of his country when he decides to return.
He is greatly disappointed by his family when he realises they have squandered the money he had been sending from France.
Another interesting showcase is South Africa’s 98-minute feature film, Elelwani directed by Ntshaveni -Wa Luruli and written by Titus Ntsiene Maumela.
In the film, Florence Masebe stars as a Venda girl, Elelwani, who intends to travel abroad with her boyfriend. She takes her boyfriend to her rural home for introductions, but the traditional values of her society stop the intended union and plans.
Her father wants her to become married to a local king and despite her persistent refusal and objection to the idea, she is overcome by the need to respect her parents.
What then unfolds are the royal family’s secrets that were hidden from the community and Elwani becomes the revealer of these deceptions and mysteries.
Other films at the festival incude Freestate from Zimbabwe, Elza from the US, Eat , Sleep, Die from Sweden and Dialemi from Gabon amongst many others.
The festival, which opened on August 23, ends on Saturday in Harare and runs in Bulawayo from September 5 to 7.
