LaDOC Filmnetzwerk Köln and Internationales Frauen* Film Fest Dortmund+Köln present:
Afghanistan – Women’s Voices
Film screening and panel discussion

Sahraa Karimi, Afghan director and head of the Afghan Film Institute was in the middle of shooting her second feature when the Taliban invaded Kabul. She managed to escape the capital in August 2021. It is still unknown whether she can continue her cinematic work, what will happens to Afghanistan’s film heritage and who will provide reliable footage of the women’s situation in the country in the future.

Considering the dramatic situation in Afghanistan LaDOC, the documentary film network from Cologne, together with Internationales Frauen* Film Fest Dortmund+Köln issued an inviation to filmmakers Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami (Sonita, 2015) , Sahraa Karimi (A Thousand Girls Like Me, 2018) and Sahra Mani. IFFF Dortmund+Köln was the first German film festival to present an comprehensive programme by Afghan female filmmakers in 2003.

The directors will talk about their work and their current situation. Sahraa Karimi’s keynote speech will give an insight to the cinematic work of women in Afghanistan focusing on the specific conditions in the country. Followed by a Q&A (moderation: Anke Schäfer/LaDOC and Stefanie Görtz/IFFF Dortmund+Köln).

The initiative of LaDoc was joined by several cooperation partners: Internationales Nürnberger Filmfestival für Menschenrechte im Filmhaus Nürnberg, KHM Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln, ifs internationale filmschule köln and HFF Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München have invited Sahraa Karimi und Sahra Mani for film talks and Master-Classes. This way we want to make the voices of female filmmakers from Afghanistan heard in Germany.

Programme:
10:00 Uhr Reception
10:15 Uhr Sonita (D: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami)
followed by film talk

12:45 Uhr A Thousand Girls Like Me (D: Sahra Mani)
followed by film talk

14:45 – 15:45 lunch

16:00 Uhr »Women’s Voices«
Keynote speech with film examples
Sahraa Karimi speaks about documentary works by female filmmakers in Afghanistan and their current situation in the country.

17:00 – 18:00 Uhr Talk
Panel discussion with Sahra Karimi, Sahra Mani and Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami

Moderation:  Anke Schäfer (LaDOC) and Stefanie Görtz (Internationales Frauen* Film Fest Dortmund+Köln)

Location: Filmhauskino • Maybachstraße 11 • 50670 Köln
Day pass (films, key note, lunch and snack): 20 € / 16 € reduced
Registration via: info@ladoc.de

Funded by Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen and Kulturamt der Stadt Köln.
In cooperation with Internationales Nürnberger Filmfestival für Menschenrechte, ifs internationale filmschule köln, Kunsthochschule für Medien Köln, Filmhaus Köln and Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München.

Picture: A Thousand Girls Like Me © Sarah Mani