{"id":7263,"date":"2010-11-22T00:00:26","date_gmt":"2010-11-22T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/muslimahmediawatch.org\/?p=7263"},"modified":"2010-11-22T00:00:26","modified_gmt":"2010-11-22T08:00:26","slug":"a-far-reaching-film-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/mmw\/2010\/11\/a-far-reaching-film-fest\/","title":{"rendered":"A Far-Reaching Film Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In January of this year, philanthropist Leslie Sacks, human rights lawyer Catinca Tabacaru and a team of extraordinary women came together to create Women\u2019s Voices Now<\/a>, an organization based in New York whose aim is to \u201cempower women and give voice to the struggle for civil, economic, and political rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

This group of women has wasted no time in carrying out their mission. Already hosting what is being called the \u201cfirst-ever international showcase of short films about Islam and women,\u201d Women\u2019s Voices Now has creatively crafted Women\u2019s Voices from the Muslim World: A Short-Film Festival<\/em> in attempt to create an online platform \u201cwhere underrepresented women can be heard by an international audience, women can communicate with each other, and the dialogue on women\u2019s rights can be elevated by a multitude of views from diverse national, economic, ethnic and religious backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The festival will showcase the top selection of digital short films submitted in an online competition through the Women\u2019s Voices Now website<\/a>. The short films feature women from different faiths and backgrounds living in Muslim-majority countries, as well as Muslim women living as minorities in other countries. The competition is open to filmmakers of all genders and backgrounds and will remain open for submissions until November 24th. <\/sup><\/p>\n

<\/sup><\/p>\n

Luckily for millions of savvy web goers, there is already a great collection of films that are sure to move you to laughter or tears, with one of my personal favorites already in submission: 1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim by Anida Yoeu Ali<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Just to give a preview of some of the top-rated submissions so far:<\/p>\n

\u201cIs This Honor?\u201d by Dalia Odeh \/ Jordan: \u201cShedding light on the definition of \u201cFamily Honor\u201d and how this controversial issue affects the lives of people, especially women, within the Jordanian society.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJazbaa (A Strong Will)\u201d by Rama Barhat \/ India: \u201cManju Khatri is no ordinary woman. She\u2019s taken on a male dominated society the only way she knows \u2013 driving an autorickshaw in Udaipur. The only female rickshaw driver, she has a faithful following of client\u00e8le, especially among children going to school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Garden In Shigar\u201d by Mahera Omar \/ Pakistan: \u201cNusrat, Khezran, Zakia, Asiya and Sajida are five young women from the scenic Shigar Valley in the mountainous northern areas of Pakistan. As interns with the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP), their project is to landscape the Abruzzi secondary school\u2019s garden in the village of Sainkhor, Shigar, Baltistan. Tahereh, their guide and mentor, has come all the way from Los Angeles, California, to teach the women the principles of design and landscaping. In learning these skills to transform a rubble strewn field into a one-of-a-kind teaching garden, these women sow the seeds for their own transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Name is Pat\u201d by Patricia Fermazi \/ United Arab Emirates: \u201c\u201dMy Name is Pat\u201d is a slice from the life of a young Filipina expatriate struggling to discover her identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA Land Called Paradise\u201d by Lena Khan \/ USA: \u201cIn December 2007, over 2,000 Muslim Americans were asked what they would like to say to the world. This is what they said.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The film submissions can be reviewed and rated on the Women\u2019s Voices Now website by web users all over the world. They will later be officially voted on by a panel of judges who will be looking for films that are candid and explore women\u2019s rights and achievements, focusing on \u201cthe positive contributions and accomplishments of Muslim women.\u201d In addition to being selected for cash prizes, the winning films will be screened at the WVN Festival in Los Angeles on March 10-12, 2011 and in other venues worldwide.<\/p>\n

Tabacaru says about the films:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very used to hearing about the Muslim woman as the victim, the oppressed, the veiled. What we\u2019re seeing through this film festival is that we\u2019re getting stories which we would have never dreamt of getting. They are about women doing things that, before doing this project, I would never have imagined.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In such a short span of time, Women\u2019s Voices Now is earning the support of many and quickly working to fulfill its goals by providing a space where filmmakers from various religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds can educate and move an international audience of film viewers, through a influential means of media, towards a collective goal of empowerment and gender equality.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a sampling. This is one of the many submissions on the Women\u2019s Voices Now website:<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In January of this year, philanthropist Leslie Sacks, human rights lawyer Catinca Tabacaru and a team of extraordinary women came together to create Women\u2019s Voices Now, an organization based in New York whose aim is to \u201cempower women and give voice to the struggle for civil, economic, and political rights.\u201d This group of women has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[2663,471,928,934,1510,1513],"class_list":["post-7263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cinema","category-events","tag-cinema","tag-film","tag-muslim-women","tag-muslim-world","tag-womens-voices-now","tag-womens-voices-from-the-muslim-world-a-short-film-festival"],"yoast_head":"\nA Far-Reaching Film Fest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In January of this year, philanthropist Leslie 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