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.

The 6th Edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival (HIWFF 2020) Presents:

A journey through the experience of visual storytelling.
The second day of cinematography workshop kicked off yesterday, 20 August 2020. The participants engaged practically through the experience of making a night-scene.
The workshop in the intensive covers the fundamental technical aspects and aesthetic considerations of the craft and process of cinematography. Students explore the camera as a tool and the theory of cinematic storytelling. They are introduced to fundamental concepts through lectures and demonstrations. They explore the theory and use of exposure, lens selection, frame rate, shutter angle, depth-of-field and composition. Through hands-on exercises on location, led by Reza Didar, Well-known DP and cinematographer, participants get their feet wet shooting with digital cinema cameras including Red Camera and DSLRs, as well as with various lenses, filtration, and lighting units. The dynamics of working as a crew are explored, and students are introduced to the primary roles and responsibilities of each member of a camera crew, including Director of Photography, Camera Operator, and Camera Assistant, and their relationships to one another in production.
The 6th Edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival is announcing its 2020 Selection Committees charged with picking the few films from over 3500 films submitted from across the world to be screened during the 6th Edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival, slated for begin in next few months (Not finalized yet the exact date of the event due to Covid-19 Coronavirus Crisis.) This year’s selection committees are equally as diverse as last year’s.
Selection Committees:
Short Film & Animation Committee:
• Arif Bahram (Kabul University, Faculty of fine arts, Cinema Department professor
• Aqela Rezaei (Documentary Filmmaker and Actress)
• Masood Eslami (Filmmaker)

Documentary Committee:
• Ali Kiyan (Documentary Filmmaker)
• Maryam Kakar (Kabul University, Faculty of fine arts, Cinema Department professor(
• Khadem Hedary (Filmmaker(
The 6th Edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival (HIWFF 2020) Presents:

A journey through the experience of visual storytelling.

The second day of cinematography workshop kicked off yesterday, 20 August 2020. The participants engaged practically through the experience of making a night-scene.

The workshop in the intensive covers the fundamental technical aspects and aesthetic considerations of the craft and process of cinematography. Students explore the camera as a tool and the theory of cinematic storytelling. They are introduced to fundamental concepts through lectures and demonstrations. They explore the theory and use of exposure, lens selection, frame rate, shutter angle, depth-of-field and composition. Through hands-on exercises on location, led by Reza Didar, Well-known DP and cinematographer, participants get their feet wet shooting with digital cinema cameras including Red Camera and DSLRs, as well as with various lenses, filtration, and lighting units. The dynamics of working as a crew are explored, and students are introduced to the primary roles and responsibilities of each member of a camera crew, including Director of Photography, Camera Operator, and Camera Assistant, and their relationships to one another in production.