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fanfare from film enthusiasts all walks of life.
The opening ceremony that took place at Eastgate’s SterKinekor Monte Carlo theatre attracted local casts from different production houses, filmmakers, the diplomatic community and several prominent personalities.
What stood out most during the event was the enthusiasm and potential that the film industry in Zimbabwe has, but against a backdrop of limited funding to spur the sector to great heights.
IIFF’s new director, Yvonne Jila, praised women filmmakers for carrying dreams and aspirations of millions of Zimbabwean women through film.
“Through this event, we finally celebrate stories of visionary women who have set and achieved their goals,” she said.
Jila is taking over from renowned filmmaker and novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga, who has been at the helm of the festival for the past 10 years.
The festival – running under the theme “Women With Goals”, runs until Saturday.
The festival is expected to attract eminent filmmakers both locally and abroad while a total of 40 films from different countries around the world including Germany, Japan, Sweden, France, South
Africa and Zimbabwe will be screened during the fete.
The venues of the film screenings will include Ster Kinekor, Mannenberg, Alliance Française and the Zimbabwe Germany Society.
Jila, the new IIFF director, was born in Bulawayo in 1984.
She attained her Advanced Level at Thekwane High School in 2002 and later moved to Harare where she graduated with a National Diploma in Mass Communications from the Harare Polytechnic in 2006.
Jila, who is currently in her second year of study in sociology at the Women’s University in Africa, holds a diploma in public relations and several certificates on proposal writing, reporting and feminism.
She joined Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe in 2008 as a programmes assistant and was later promoted to programmes officer before assuming the festival directorship, her current position. Her portfolio includes overall management of IIFF, fund-raising for the festival, festival reporting and networking among other duties.
Jila strongly believes women can achieve great heights as long as they adopt the “do-it-yourself” mentality and do away with the “give-it-to-me” syndrome. IIFF helps women validate their value as active and creative contributors.
Online Reporter