IWFFT aims to make women directors and their films visible by bringing together female directors and female film workers in the first week of March every year within the scope of 8 March International Working Women's Day.
SURPASSING THE WAVES
Every time unemployement rears its head in our future, every time hunger sits our dining tables, every time drought dries up the rivers and turns water into dust, every time war destroys our houses, every time violence blows its breath in our faces, every time we walk barefoot on the roads, every time we find ourselves in the middle of the ocean in a tiny, crammed boat, every border we cross in the face of death, every time we face with impenetrable walls surrounding consciences, every time we face with injustice, inequality and discrimination… We are just like piers, fighting against the waves that grow bigger each day, trying to swallow us whole. We are looking at you from the lens of the camera, far away from the lands we were born while the roads of migration are flourishing with our femininity. We are writing new stories with women who refuse to be bystaders in life. We are surpassing the waves that coming up on us for you to see what we see, for you to feel what we lived through. To say we are still here despite everything! It’s not going to be easy but it’s going to worth our effort. We will be a tree most fruitful with our roots, our bodies, our branches…
AWARD SYSTEM
The festivals organizes national and international competitions in the categories of Short, Experimental, Documentary and Fiction. These categories vary every year depending on the magnitude of the films produced and the number of the participants.
The festival may combine national and international competitions or organize them separately according to the theme it has set for that year. Pre-selectors and jurors are determined by the number of the competitions and content of the films participating in the festival. The festival jurors cannot give more than one awards to the same film. Since the awards are given in order to motivate and encourage the directors to create more content jurors prioritize that the director of the film is alive while giving the awards.
To honour the women who make great effort in cinema and give them the value and recognition they deserve whe they are still alive the festival gives awards in the names of director Biket İlhan and cinema writer Sevin Okyay. Biket İlhan Best Director Award is presented to the best director selected by the jury every year and Sevin Okyay Cinema Writing Achievement Award is presented to a female cinema writer selected by the festival management.
B) FESTIVAL APPLICATION DATES
Application dates for the 6th International Women Filmmakers Festival which will be held on the dates between 7th -15th March 2023, are 30th May 2022 to 10th December 2022.
Fem Reel Awards at 5th International Women Filmmakers Festival
National Competiton
Best Feature
Biket İlhan Best Director
Special Jury Award
Best Short Film
Best Experimental Short Film
Short Film Special Jury Award
Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts Special Award
International Competition
National Competiton
Best Feature Film
Best Director
Special Jury Award
Best Short Film
Best Experimental Short Film
Short Film Special Jury Award
Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Fine Arts Special Award