Key Topics 2024

The main themes for the 24th Women’s Worlds Film Festival have been announced! This year’s programme will feature more than 25 international films on the key topics of ‘domestic and sexualised violence against women’, ‘women’s rights in a religious context’ and ‘Women’s Heathcare’. By choosing these focal themes, the festival is making reference to current political and social developments and their causes and presenting works that fit in with them.

Films in the thematic focus ‘Womens Healthcare’:

STRAY BODIES, Elina Psykou, Greece/ Switzerland / Italy / Bulgaria, 2024, 109 Min., Documentary , OmeU

The laws regarding in vitro fertilization, abortions, and active euthanasia vary greatly across Europe. As a result, thousands of women travel across the continent each year to circumvent the restrictive regulations in their home countries. This movie follows four women on their journey through life-changing moments.

THE RYE HORN, Magnus von Horn, Denmark / Poland / Sweden, 2024, 115 min, feature film, OmeU

1971, Francoist Spain: María, a midwife from Galicia, has to flee from the authorities after a dramatic event. On her dangerous journey to Portugal via old smuggling routes, she encounters the solidarity of other women. With their support, María tries to find freedom.

THE MILKY WAY, Maya Kenig, Israel / France, 2023, 98 min., feature film, OmeU

Tala has just had her first child. As she doesn’t earn enough money as a musician, the single mum takes a job at ‘Milky Way’, a dairy for breast milk. Soon she can no longer stand it there and finds an alternative way to deliver her precious product directly to a customer.

Films in the thematic focus ‘Women’s rights in a religious context’:

MEDIHA, Hasan Oswald, USA, 2023, 90 min., documentary film, OmeU

Mediha, a young Yazidi woman, survived being kidnapped and enslaved by ISIS. Together with her brothers Ghazwan and Adnan, she is searching for her missing family members. Over the course of three years and several countries, they fight for justice and to rebuild their lives.

AMAL, Jawad Rhalib, Belgium, 2023, 111 min., Feature film, OmeU

Amal, a committed teacher at a Belgian suburban school with a high proportion of Muslim pupils, uses poetry to challenge her class to deal with the topic of homosexuality. When one of her Muslim pupils comes out, Amal stands up for her protection and becomes the target of Islamist hostility herself.

The WITNESS, Nader Saeivar, Germany / Austria, 2024, 100 min., feature film, OmeU

Rana’s husband uses violence to force her to close her dance studio. In the end, he murders her. Rana’s friend Tarlan witnesses the murder and tries to bring the murderer to justice. But the police refuse to seriously investigate the case. When Tarla proceeds with going public, she puts herself and her family in danger.

Films on the topic of ‘domestic and sexualised violence against women’:

A FAMILY, Christine Angot, France, 2024, 82 min., documentary film, OmeU

Award-winning writer Christine Angot returns to Strasbourg for work, where her father, who abused her as a teenager, used to live. Accompenied by a camera, she visits his family to find out their attitude to the crimes. At the same time, she sheds light on how society and the family deal with abuse.

BLACKBOX DIARIES, Shiori Ito, Japan/UK/USA, 2024, 104 Min., Documentary film, OmeU

When Shiori Ito begins her journalistic career in Japan, she is raped by a renowned colleague. She does not accept the assault and begins to fight for her rights. Her case attracts more and more publicity and soon she is not only fighting against an outdated justice system, but also against a patriarchal society.

WE ARE FIRE, Karen Vázquez Guadarrama, Belgium / Luxembourg, 2023, 52 min, documentary film, OmeU

With 10 femicides a day, Mexico is one of the most dangerous places for women. The young artist Mar Mar Maremoto is fighting against this grim reality with her illustrations, which she shares online, to spread hope and solidarity. The Drawings contribute to the streets of Mexico becoming safer .

Tickets go on sale on 01 October 2024