,

19th Asian Women’s Film Festival

International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT ) Chapter India’s Asian Women’s Film Festival is held each year to mark International Women’s Day. This year the 19th edition of the Festival will take place 7-9 March 24 at India International Centre, New Delhi. 

Highlights 

50 films, across genres from 20 countries will be screened including a curated section of short films from Iran. A seminar ‘The Today and Tomorrow Documentary’ on Archiving at a time when everything has a digital afterlife, ‘Balancing Acts’ – a 3 day workshop on balancing storytelling and messaging for creators from diverse backgrounds will be held. A Masterclass with the acclaimed Palestinian Film maker Mai Masri from Lebanon and an upskilling session on editing with Amrita David(France) and Jabeen Merchant(India). A session on Consent and Law- exploring consent in a holistic manner will be coordinated by Anjali Moterio Member International Board are the other highlights.The opening film is ‘The Siren’ by Sepideh Farsi is on the human cost of war. Renowned film makers will present their films: Ms. Mai Masri (Lebanon)-Frontiers of Dreams and Feats’, Ms. Shin Su Won (South Korea)- ‘Homage’ and Ms. Amrita David ( France) – ‘Towards Tenderness’. Additionally, there will be exhibitions by Rafooghar and Alka Hingorani.

IAWRT member Fatana Bayat wins Laadli Gender Sensitivity Award

Fatana Bayat, a documentary filmmaker, and Mina Habib, a journalist from Afghanistan, have won the Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for their work in highlighting the situation of women.

AWRT Afghanistan member Fatana Bayat, an Afghan documentary filmmaker, has been recognized for her work in the past two years depicting the situation of women and has been well received. She won the South Asian prize for gender-related issues in the media.

The award is organized by the Indian organization Population First, a Mumbai-based social impact organization supported by the UNFPA, and aims to promote gender sensitivity in media across India.

The award ceremony took place in Mumbai, India. However, due to Taliban restrictions, the two Afghan female journalists could not attend in person.

Ms. Bayat, in a message to IAWRT, said “I sincerely congratulate all my media colleagues, especially the female journalists and all the women of my country, and I hope that we can be the voice of women in Afghanistan in this difficult situation.”

Given the extremely adverse conditions in which Afghanistan journalists work especially since the return of the Taliban to Kabul, this achievement is a source of inspiration that Fatana and also Mina have been able to produce work that is meaningful, relevant and award-winning.

IAWRT’s chapter in Afghanistan launched in November 2022 a report about the dangers, challenges and changes that female journalists have faced in Afghanistan since August 2021. Among them are job losses, the closure of media outlets, and restrictions on reporting and on women in the profession among others. Read more here.

Violet Gonda helms #IPE2024 program in Cape Town

Former IAWRT President Violet Gonda hosted the inaugural conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Political Campaigns or the International Political Campaigns Expo 2024 (#IPE2024) held in Cape Town, South Africa on January 25-26, 2024.

The theme of the gathering was “Transforming Political Campaigns: How AI and Big Data Amplify Voter Engagement and Shape Political Campaigns in Africa.”

There were 130 delegates from 30 countries.

Ms. Gonda said the discussions at the conference “shed light on Africa’s readiness for this technological advancement and the unique challenges it presents, ensuring our continent’s active participation in shaping the future of AI.”

“It was particularly encouraging to see more than 20 African countries represented, including representatives of electoral management bodies and members of ruling and opposition parties all in one room,” she added.

The goal of the conference, according to organizers, is to build a knowledge hub where we pool insights to craft a comprehensive report and store box of AI stories and examples that scholars and enthusiasts can dive into and use for all purposes. Another key goal is to assist in navigating AI regulations.

The year 2024 is a big election year in the world. Around 16 nations in the African continent are expected to hold elections in 2024. Additionally, 7 of the world’s 10 most populous nations are also holding their elections this year. They are Bangladesh, India, United States, Indonesia, Pakistan, Russia, and Mexico.

Our Network