Kino als Werkzeug für Veränderung

The film world is divided between art house film and commercial mainstream – but is it really? Where are the connections between these supposedly opposite worlds and what role do women filmmakers play here? This panel will look at the way in which women filmmakers position themselves between the independent film scene and mainstream cinema.

If we consider cinema not only a cultural sector but an ideological machine, a public opinion maker and a carrier of societal values and rules, then filmmaking is a political act. Film budgets vary immensely. Women often get the short end of the stick and work primarily in documentary and independent filmmaking. Filmmaking is not only about art – it is about power. Women directors often offer an alternative view onto the world, one that challenges the mainstream’s sexist and discriminatory forms of representation. So how do they come to terms with the dilemma of wanting to undo gender norms while navigating the film industry? Women’s choice to enter a career in cinema comes with a political question: what kind of film world do I want to work in?

‘If she can see it, she can be it’ goes a famous feminist saying. Cinema functions like a role model; it not only mirrors our society, it inspires us, too. Ultimately cinema is a tool for change. In this panel we will hear from different women filmmakers and their own positioning within the film world(s) in Egypt and beyond.

The panel will be moderated by Dr. Maxa Zoller, Artistic Director of the Internationales Frauen Film Fest Dortmund+Köln, and Yosra ElMallah, Program Manager at HerStory Films MENA. The participating filmmakers and full panel lineup will be announced closer to the event.