We have been waiting for this moment all year and it has finally dawned upon us. The Cairo International Film Festival and for the first time ever in Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea Film Festival, have finally taken place. With the CIFF being the premiere film festival of North Africa and the Middle East, we were very eager to see the moving films which were showcased for the 43rd year running. During past years, the film industry has been for the most part male-dominated. This year however, a spotlight was shown on movies directed by many ingeniously talented females.

The CIFF honoured 43 awards this year, to which included a multitude of winning female directors. As well as this, the Red Sea Film Festival put a major focus on celebrating and honouring the extraordinary women in film. This acknowledgement went from actors all the way through to filmmakers. To give you an insight into some of the most remarkable films premiered this year, we have assembled together four of the most compelling films showcased – all of which were created and directed by women.

RADIOGRAPH OF A FAMILY – DIRECTED BY FIROUZEH KHOSROVANI (2020)

Via Screen Daily

Written and directed by Iranian film maker Firouzeh Khosrovani, Radiograph of a Family shown at the Red Sea Film Festival 2021 had the audience on the edge of their seats. A personal story that is deeply connected to Firouzeh’s own life. It is a story of which she shares her parents love affair, which took them through the Shah era, to the Islamic revolution. A unique tale remembering the troubled times during the Iran-Iraq war. This film is a true story of Iran’s toil, between secularism and Islamic ideology. The film was accredited as Best Feature Length Documentary after first being shown in Amsterdam’s International Documentary Film Festival in 2020.

SMALL BODY – DIRECTED BY LAURA SAMANI (2021)

A compellingly moving film of overcoming grief, the film was Directed by Laura Samani. It received the Silver Pyramid Special Jury Award for Best Director for the CIFF 2021. The film was set in Italy during early 1900s showing Agata, a women who set out on a desperate search for a sanctuary to save her daughters soul from Limbo. This movie combines a relatable story with a hint of modern enchantment taking viewers through a fictional world beyond the imagination. A must-see thriller movie from the film festival this year.

MEMORY BOX – DIRECTED BY JOANA HADJITHOMAS (2021)

Courtesy of Imbd

Memory Box was written and directed by Lebanese filmmaker Joana Hadjithomas, which received an acclaimed award for Best Film Director by the CIFF 2021. This gripping story tells a tale of three women whose lives are connected by a ‘memory box’ containing audiotapes, diaries and photographs. This Pandora’s box brings some forgotten memories back to life from wartime Beirut in a deeply touching way which is sure to capture any audience’s heart.

FROM CAIRO – DIRECTED BY HALA GALAL (2021)

By Egyptian writer Hala Galal we are given an emotional documentary film about a female photojournalist and artist, struggling to provide for her child as a single mother. Her life suddenly changes when she meets someone who begins to leave a big impact  She soon learns she is not alone, as her newly found friend is also struggling to survive on ends meet, after dealing with a parent’s death. This movie was awarded The Best Non-Fiction Film Title by the CIFF this year for the amazing rawness of this documentary film.

Out of the 135 films at the Red Sea Film Festival, 38% were directed by women. In alignment with this many of the film awards at CIFF 2021 were designated to women. This was for the incredibly artistic and modern takes on film direction at the film festival this year. With all that went down at both film festivals this year, we can definitely say that the future of film is female. We cannot wait to see what they will bring us next year!