The 6th edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival Concludes

The closing and award ceremony of the 6th edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival kicked off on Thursday evening, November 19 at Darul Aman new-constructed historical palace in Kabul city, with presence of national and international invitees from different countries; cinema professionals, movie stars, women and human rights activists and government authorities, including the Minister of Information and culture Mr. Tahir Zahir and Nargis Abyar, director of acclaimed Iranian drama “Track 143”, “Breath” and “When the Moon Was Full” who served as a jury member for the International Narrative Feature Films Competition.

The ceremony began with a live music performance by the Zohra Orchestra (Afghanistan’s first all-female orchestra) and was presented jointly by one of the co-founders and program managers of the festival and TOLO TV’s famous presenter Aimal Asifi, and Manizha Abassi, writer and poet. Initially, the presenters offered their heartfelt thanks, on behalf of the festival, to the security forces for securing the festival and awarded them merit certificates, and thanks were given to all the festival supporters for their collaboration.

Then came the announcement of the awards of each section along with video messages from the international jury members. Later on, the announcers referred to the special guests of this year’s edition, among them well-known Iranian filmmaker Afshin Hashemi, for being part of the 6th edition of the festival. Hashemi’s “Goodbye Shirazi Girl” also received a certificate of appreciation for the different view of women in his film. The ceremony continued with live music performances and ended up with the presentation of the awards to the winners.

The 6th Herat International Women’s Film Festival winners in 5 categories are listed below:

International Narrative Feature Films Competition:

1. Golden Earring Statue for Best Feature Narrative (Women Cinema): Sahra Karimi for “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” (Afghanistan).
2. Golden Earring Statue for Best Feature Narrative (World Cinema): Saeed Roustaye for “Just 6.5” (Iran).
3. Joint Award Certificate for the best actress: Sara Bahrami for “Axing” (Iran), Ruby Ruiz for “Iska” (Philippine)

International Short Narrative and Animation Films Competition:

1. Bronze Earring Statue for Best Short Narrative: Azadeh Mousavi for “The Visit” (Iran).
2. Bronze Earring Statue for Best Animation: Maleha Gholamzadeh for “Tangle” (Iran).
3. Jury Special Mention for Best Animation: Natalia Mirzoyan for “Five Minutes to Sea” (Iran).

International Documentary Short and Feature Films Competition:

1. Bronze Earrings Statue for Feature Documentary: Hadi Zarei and Mehdi Zarei for “Khatemeh” (Iran).
2. Jury Special Mention for Best Documentary Feature: Hassan Fazili for “Midnight Traveler” (Afghanistan, USA).
3. Bronze Earring Statue for Best Short Documentary: Ana Antonopoulou for “Cleoniki” (Greece).

National Category Competition:

1. Golden Earrings Statue for Best Film: Abdul Hamid Mandagar for “Colorless” (Afghanistan).
2. Golden Earrings Statue for Best Actress: Wajia Khaliqi for “The Silent Scream” (Afghanistan).
3. Golden Earrings Statue for Best Actress: Wajia Khaliqi for “The Silent Scream” (Afghanistan).
4. Award Certificate for Best Director: Nasrin Hussaini for “The Silent Scream” (Afghanistan).
5. Award Certificate for Best Screenplay: Sayed Zohair Mousavi for “Shelter”.
6. Award Certificate for Best Cinematography: Khadem Hussain Byhnam for “The Looters”.
7. Award Certificate for Best Editing: Musral Azizi for ““Chinnamma” Story of a Women Hidden Under Water”.
8. Award Certificate for Best Sound: Khalid Dorudgar for “A Lady with Purple Shoes”.

Award Certificate for Best Actor: Ahmad Nawed Naween for “Story of a Story” (Afghanistan).