The Herat International Women’s Film Festival (HIWFF) is an iconic and the most prestigious
Women’s Film Festival in the region. It was established by Roya Film House and Armanshahr
Foundation/OPEN ASIA in 2013. It is an annual event held by Roya Film House in Afghanistan;
gathering filmmakers, cinema lovers, and activists from all over the world, HIWFF tackles issues
such Human Rights, gender equality, sexual identity, domestic violence among others through
the power of the lens and cinema which is the window to society and particularly women in this
case.
HIWFF, which comprises films about women and/or executed by women, aims to highlight the
power of women in different life situations, the festival organizers believe in promoting a positive image of women struggling with dignity to make a change in their environment.
The festival’s judges and programmers are coming from different film backgrounds, and are
eager to put together an exciting and truly high-quality program of various films focusing on
human problems.
In world cinema section there is no limitation, the festival is open to everyone regardless of budget and experience. We consider the films submitted for each category for all individual categories. In this section, HIWFF’s
aim is to discover new talent, films, and filmmakers with potential, and to recognize the collaborative work
this art form is funded on.