Aflamna

Broaden your view on gender and diversity thanks through films 

The gender balance in the film industry is way off. Between 2006 and 2018, barely two in ten Flemish films were produced by a woman. This was no different in the rest of the world, yet we see different trends here and there. For example, the Arab world has welcomed numerous talented female directors over the past few decades. Not only are they taking the lead in a male-dominated industry, but they are also telling stories that would otherwise remain untold. Anflamna wants to discuss these stories and put them in the spotlight through film excerpts. As a committed VUB student, this is the perfect opportunity for you to broaden your view on gender and diversity! 

Film festival: Lost stories. A female gaze on migration histories

For decades, North-African and South-Western Asian female directors have been trying to put an end to gender stereotypes and cultural taboos. By telling stories that would otherwise go untold, they are not only seeking to break away from conventional representations but are also offering different insights into female experiences. The fact is that women do indeed experience migration differently than men. What social consequences does male migration have on the women left behind? What impact does migration have on the lives of women leaving their homelands? How do they look back at their traditions and ways of life? Which lost stories need to be told?

In March 2023, a four-day film festival focuses on the theme of migration through under-represented eyes by showing films by female filmmakers from North Africa and South-West Asia. This film festival is organized in the framework of International Women’s Day and VUB’s Gender Week. It is initiated by VUB Crosstalks and the VUB Fatima Mernissi Chair, in collaboration with Cinema RITCS, Globearoma, Cinema Galeries, INSAS and Lagrange Points.

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