Women’s Film Week

Under the esteemed patronage of HRH Princess Basma Bint Talal,
UN Women Goodwill Ambassador,
On the occasion of International Women’s Day
UN Women, the Royal Film Commission – Jordan and partners
invite you to attend the 11^th edition of the
Women’s Film Week
From Monday 13^th until Saturday 18^th of March 2023
at 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM
At Rainbow Theater
Jabal Amman – First Circle
Artistic Director: Ghada Saba
 
  Click to download the film brochure  
#IWD2023

Monday 13 March 2023
6 PM

Abused: Surviving Domestic Violence in Jordan 

The screening will be followed by a discussion panel with the producer and editor.

Sasha Djurkovic, 49 minutes, documentary, Arabic with English subtitles, 2023, UK.

Jordan has led the way in the Arab world in legislating to protect women from domestic abuse, but as “Abused: Surviving Domestic Violence in Jordan” shows, challenges remain despite legal reforms. With remarkable access to women who have experienced abuse, to those who work with them, and even to some of the men who continue to believe that hitting women is acceptable, this documentary goes behind the usually closed doors where domestic violence takes place.

8 PM

Chronicles of Her 

Maysoon Hbaidi (Jordan), Emna Najjar (Tunisia), Farah Shaer (Lebanon), Taghrid Abdel Maksoud (Egypt) and Rim Mejdi (Morocco), 100 minutes, drama, Arabic with English subtitles, 2020, Jordan.

A feature film anthology composed of five short films from Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco, it narrates the suffering of women from five different worlds, but with similar circumstances, as they face oppression and injustice, and yet struggle and hope for a better life. The film address issues of gender equality with the aim of raising awareness of gender-based violence, equal access to education, health care, and decent working conditions, as well as representation in political and economic decision-making processes. The film was developed and produced under the supervision of the Royal Film Commission – Jordan under the framework of the UNESCO’S regional project "Enhancing a gender responsive film sector in the Maghreb-Mashreq region” funded by the European Union.

The film won 21 international awards and was nominated for 17 more.

Trailer 

Tuesday 14 March 2023

At 6 PM.

How Elisa Runs 

Andrés Arbit and Gustavo Gersberg, 67 minutes, documentary, Spanish and Italian with Arabic and English subtitles, 2019, Argentina.

“Como Corre Elisa (How Elisa Runs)” is the story of a running grandmother, Elisa Forti, who at the age of 82 is about to run the race of her life: 25 kilometers through her hometown in northern Italy, near Lago di Como.

Trailer

Reflections  

Rawda Al-Thani, 6 minutes, documentary, English with Arabic subtitles, 2020, Qatar.

A short film about visual artist Bouthayna Al-Muftah who designed the official poster for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, which was inspired by the concept of collective memory. Most of Al-Muftah’s work focuses on past experiences, memories, tying them to the present and archiving them in a contemporary manner.

Halawod (Into the Sea) 

Anna Katrina V. Tejero, 20 minutes, documentary, Tagalog with English subtitles, 2018, Philippines.

Amidst modernization and development, the indigenous people of the Tumandok tribe of Panay the region in the Philippines are struggling to preserve their culture and their rights to ancestral land. The film explores the sentiments of the Tumandok people facing dispossession of land and the waning of cultural tradition that is brought about by pretext of development.

Trailer 

8 PM

The Girl from Tomorrow 

Marta Savina, 102 minutes, drama, Italian and French with English subtitles, 2022, Italy.

“Primadonna” follows Lia, a strong headed who does not fit in with the rigid mindset of 1965 Sicily. What starts off like a fairytale with Lorenzo soon turns into a nightmare, with Lia confronted with having to accept the common tradition of the reparatory marriage. However, Loa, for the first time in Italian history, will defy all social expectations and engage a personal and legal battle for self-determination.

Trailer

Wednesday 15 March 2023
 
At 6 PM

Girl Gang 

Susanne Regina Meures, 98 minutes, documentary, German with English subtitles, 2022, Switzerland.

Fourteen-year-old Leonie is a successful teen influencer who lives on the outskirts of Berlin. Millions of followers are at her feet, and companies shower her with products. When Leonie’s parents recognize the enormous economic potential of their daughter’s online activities, they quickly take over her management aiming to give Leonie to a better life than they had. However, Leonie’s life dictated by brands and pressure to produce content has a shadow side that the adrenaline, fam and free sneakers can’t make up for.

The film won a “Special Mention” at the Reykjavik International Film Festival and was nominated for 7 other awards.

Trailer

8 PM

Role & Role 

Chus Gutiérrez, 72 minutes, documentary, Spanish, French, Arabic and English with English subtitles, 2020, Spain.

Can a less stereotyped and more real representation positively influence viewing women as leaders and contribute towards a more equal society? “Rol & Rol (Role & Role)” is a documentary reflecting on the role that media, advertising and fiction plays in the construction of female role models and how such models impact society’s way of thinking and women’s and men’s life and career decision-making.

Trailer

Thursday 16 March
 
At 6 PM

I Am Greta

Nathan Grossman, 97 minutes, documentary, Swedish and English with English subtitles, 2020, Sweden. 

In August of 2018, Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old student in Sweden starts a school strike for the climate. Her question for adults: if you don't care about her future on earth, why should she care about her future in school? Within months, her strike evolves into a global movement. Greta, a quiet Northern-European girl on the autism spectrum is now a world-famous activist. The documentary “I Am Greta” follows her journey to get people around the globe to listen to scientists about the world's environmental problems.

The film won 9 awards and was nominated for 13 more.

Trailer

8 PM

How To Kill A Cloud 

Tuija Halttunen, 80 minutes, documentary, Finnish, Arabic and English with English subtitles, 2021, Finland.

A documentary about a Finnish female scientist, Hannele Korhonen, specialized in geo-engineering, or intervening in natural processes to influence the climate. Director Halttunen follows the scientist as she is trying to create rain in the United Arab Emirates desert.

The film won 3 awards, including the Premio Zonta Club Award at the Locarno International Film Festival, and was nominated for 9 awards.

Trailer
 

Friday 17 March 2023
 
At 6 PM

Break the Codes 

Safia Kessas, 60 minutes, documentary, French with English subtitles, 2022, Belgium.

The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) sector is a patriarchal world starting at school. Aside from numbers and scientific studies, the film aims to clarify the human side of the under-representation of women in these professions, to build the confidence of girls and women in their capacities to work in the STEM sector, and to value and make visible the achievements of women in the sector and finally, to enrich the representations of these professions, far from being as the collective imagination framing them as typically masculine.

8 PM

Her Job 

Nikos Labôt, 89 minutes, drama, Greek with Arabic and English subtitles, 2018, Greece, France and Serbia.

In the drama “I douleia tis (Her Job)”, Panayiota gets for the first time a job as a cleaner in an attempt to support her family. While at her work environment, she faces a ruthless system of exploitation. Yet, this is where she spends the happiest period of her so far dull life. But this is not to last for long as the first layoffs are to arrive soon.

The film won 14 awards and was nominated for 59 others.

Trailer 

Saturday 18 March 2023
 
At 6 PM

On the Basis of Sex

Mimi Leder, 120 minutes, drama, English with Arabic and English subtitles, 2018, United States, China, and Canada.

“On the Basis of Sex” follows the true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

The film won 4 awards and was nominated for 12 more.

Trailer