Retrospective 2009 - Opening
  The film festival team 2009, at the foyer of Museum Cinema, enjoys the calm before the storm...
  First guests arrive at the reception table...
  Festival director Irene Jung welcomes Member of Parliament Winne Hermann und congratulates him on his new task as President of the Commission for transportation and city planning of the National Parliament of Germany
 
Soon the audience flows in, ready for the opening of the film festival a la Bollywood, but with satirical undertones
  The first moviegoers of the afternoon screening already fill out the evaluation sheets...

  ... while honorary guest Leymah Gbowee arrives. She has come from Ghana with her five month old daughter Jaydyn to be present for the opening of the film festival, and is welcomed by Irene Jung and Christa Stolle
  In the Museum's big cinema hall, Irene Jung asks Susanne Omran, Commissioner for Gender Equality of the University City of Tuebingen, about new developments in her work and the tasks to be faced in the coming year.
  As expected, they are very diverse. Dr. Omran states that gender equality and integration of migrants complement each other very well, and that she will advocate for a new project especially for young girls and migrants.

  Executive director Christa Stolle informs about the successes and prospects of TERRE DES FEMMES. A first step towards the Capital of Berlin, the opening of an extension office in Berlin, has already been made. This has provided many opportunities for political lobbying for women's rights. The remaining offices of the Tuebingen headquarter will move to Berlin in 2011, but the film festival will remain in Tuebingen.
  Then Irene Jungs asks Leymah Gbowee to join her on the stage, the hero of the documentary „Pray the Devil Back to Hell“ about women that forced the end of the bloody civil war in Liberia,

  Leymah explains that one of the most immediate tasks as director of the Panafrican Women's Peace Network WIPSEN is to support women in their battle for women's rights in Simbabwe. She will share more about her confrontation with wars in Africa during the next days at cinemas, the TERRE DES FEMMES headquarter, schools and round tables.

  Irene Jung then outlines the coming eventful days: the focus on „Matriarchy- today?“ will be inaugurated with a talk and films focusing on the theme On Sunday, the Topic Day on matriarchy, film-makers that have experienced matriarchal cultures in Africa, the Americas and Asia, will display their fascinating movies. And finally, Leymah Gbowee, herself a daughter and granddaughter of African matriarchs, will depict through „Pray the Devil back to Hell“ what achievements can be accomplished today by empowered women, even in desperate undertakings like the one to end the bloody civil war in Liberia. And - premiering at the Women’s Worlds film festival - the honorary award for „Courageous Engagement for Human Rights of Women“ will be presented to Leymah Gbowee and to award-winning Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf.

  She expresses her huge gratitude and admiration to a highly engaged, efficient and good-tempered film festival team, which arouses much applause from the audience.
 

Finally, Irene Jung invites Kamran Sardar Khan from Arsenal Film Distribution to introduce the spicy opening movie „Tandoori Love“, which will hit theaters in 2010. Let the show begin!

 

At the celebration after the opening at the Kelter restaurant, there is enough space until late night for a lively discussion, accompanied by Bollywood music at the table of Winne Hermann, Irene Jung with additional companions from old times...

  ... at the table of the TERRE DES FEMMES members of staff.
  And at the table of Christa Stolle and Kamran Sardar Khan
 

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Fotos: Alexander Gonschior - Webdesign, Fotografie - Tübingen - www.agowebworks.de