This year, for the sixth round of the festival, more than 3,000 films from 122 countries in two general sections; “World Cinema” with diverse subjects and “Women's Cinema” focusing on issues related to women; have been submitted to the secretariat of the festival by male and female filmmakers. A line up of 73 films from 27 countries (India, Iran, France, Britain, Greece, Italy, USA, Egypt, Russia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Germany, Philippines, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Taiwan, Qatar, Turkey, Portugal, Finland, South Africa, Yemen, Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Argentina) have been officially selected in two parts: Competition and Non-Competition (special screening).
4 jury committees composed of film professionals from the world of cinema from Afghanistan, India, Tajikistan, Spain, USA, Greece, Russia, Turkey, France and Iran will award the festival with a trophy and a plaque of appreciation for the winning films. The selected films will be passed on into national and international jury committees to pick up award-winning films.
The selected films will be screened publicly and will be passed on into international jury committees to pick up award-winning films in the following categories:
- International Narrative Feature Films (Including two sub-sections: World Cinema and Women's Cinema).
- International Narrative Short and Animation Films
- International Documentary Feature and Short Films
- National Competition (Afghan Films)
This year, the selected films will be screened simultaneously in 5 provinces (Kabul, Herat, Bamyan, Nangarhar and Sar-e-Pul).
The festival will be celebrated with the presence of filmmakers, film stars, national and international women's rights activists, artists, cultural figures and members of the international jury from different countries. The event will be included; film screenings, awards ceremony and red carpet, a panel discussion with experts and civil society activists, filmmaking workshops leading by international film professionals, live music performances, a commemoration ceremony. In addition to filmmakers and prominent domestic cultural figures, guests from other countries will be present during the festival. Herat International Women's Film Festival is the first international film festival in the region, which is covered by more than 100 national and international media every year.
