Islamabad:The 10th milestone edition of the Women International Film Festival (WIFF) was successfully held on February 14–15 at the Silk Road Culture Center, Islamabad, and Olomopolo, Lahore, following a soft opening on 13 February.
Over the past decade, WIFF has evolved from a small, women-led grassroots initiative into one of Pakistan’s most consistent and respected platforms for independent, women-led storytelling.
The 10th edition marked not only a celebration of this journey but also reaffirmed the festival’s enduring commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and fostering cross-cultural dialogue through cinema.
Reflecting on ten years of WIFF, Madeeha Raza, Founder and Curator of WIFF, stated: “WIFF began as a need to make space for women-made films, and ten years later, that commitment remains at the heart of everything we do.” This year’s festival showcased 23 films from Pakistan, Australia, Iran, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, Italy, the Philippines, and Taiwan.
The diverse selection presented compelling narratives exploring identity, resistance, belonging, and lived realities across cultures. A key highlight of the 10th edition was the panel discussion titled “Why We Make Films: Craft, Platforms, and New Audiences.”
Bringing together filmmakers working across feature films, short films, and digital-first formats, the discussion explored audience engagement, narrative intention, and the evolving language of visual storytelling across screens.
The panel also examined how emerging imaging technologies, including Sony’s latest lineup, are expanding creative possibilities for filmmakers. The panel featured Batool Naqvi, known for her cinematic short-form digital storytelling; Zainab Nasir, award-winning film producer, educator, and representative of Sony; and Xoori K. Sarhadi, Pakistani-Australian filmmaker and winner of WIFF’s Curator Choice Award.
The session was moderated by Madeeha Raza. The festival further strengthened its focus on mentorship and industry engagement through a masterclass conducted by Marya Javed and a workshop led by Jawad Sharif, reinforcing WIFF’s commitment to capacity building within Pakistan’s creative community.
WIFF 2026 was supported by Sony, the Embassy of Spain in Islamabad, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Islamabad, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Malala Fund, the Embassy of France, and Alliance Française Islamabad, in partnership with Buland.
