International and local actresses and filmmakers will next month grace the fourth edition of the Urusaro International Women Film Festival. The festival will kick off from October 4 to 11 at Sainte Famille Hotel, in Kigali.

Themed: ‘Woman: Pillar of Cinema’, the annual festival celebrates the gains made by female filmmakers. It will bring together female filmmakers, directors, and producers from across Africa, Europe and Asia, to showcase their incredible talent in film, and to share their experience in the film industry.

The countries expected to take part in this year’s event are; Kenya, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Senegal, Tunisia, Mozambique, Morocco, Burundi, Djibouti, Somalia, and South Africa.

The festival will help local female filmmakers and actors improve their knowledge in the field through networking. / File

Jacqueline Murekeyisoni, CEO of Cinefemme, the festival’s organiser, said the event is an opportunity to bring women together to share experience on how best to improve their skills and take filmmaking to another level.

"We strive to increase the number of women filmmakers and film technicians through capacity building, support to production and promotional services. Our ultimate objective is to support Rwandan women to successfully develop their interest and career in the filmmaking industry, while at the same time paying more attention to the situation and problems of women and promoting gender equality,” she said.

Besides training, the week-long festival will have master classes, panel discussions, and public film screenings. Other highlights of the event will include awarding the best films in the categories of Rwandan Short Fiction, East African Short Fiction, African Short Fiction, and African Documentary.

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