ABOUT WIFA
“There’s a need for a festival that affords women of any background the chance to be showcased in a truly empowering light.”
Dr. Susan Gitimu
The Women in Film Awards(WIFA) aims at bringing women filmmakers in Kenya together and provide a space where diversity of women voices, stories and creativity is equally recognized and celebrated.
This exiting initiative not only recognizes women filmmakers but also provides a platform to honour outstanding women filmmakers who have contributed to the growth of the film industry by producing films of high quality. The annual awards have been created to honour women filmmakers in many different categories: From Directors, Writers, Producers, Cinematographers, Editors and Sound Designers and other women who work within all areas of film production.
Nominations open on 15th December of every year running through to 15th January of the following year with awards being held in March each year to coincide with the international women day. Entrants may enter themselves or be nominated and undergo a rigorous judging process to achieve the level of awardee. the Jury comprises of accomplished women filmmaker in the industry. After the jury process the nominees are sent to the public for public voting and the winners are awarded during a red carpet gala event.
Awards Objectives
- To celebrate women perspectives through film
- To encourage women filmmakers in Kenya present the world as they experience it through filming the world.
- To empower women in Kenya to embrace filmmaking.
- To create a market linkage for women filmmakers in Kenya to the larger market for film i.e. Distributers (online, mobile, TV and local retail market) and consumers/viewers.
“women don’t lack a voice, they have the voice, they need to feel empowered to use it and people need to be encouraged to listen”. -Meghan Markle
WIFA 2023 Organizing Team
Awards Director
Dr. Susan Gitimu is the director Beyond the Film(BTF). She is also a lecturer at Kenyatta University in the department of Communication, Media, Film and Theatre Studies.
Awards Manager
Grace Mercy is a Kenyan Filmmaker and is passionate about youth and women. She strongly believes that Film is one of the tools that helps to create a social impact. Mercy is also the creative Director at Beyond the Film and is also pursuing her masters in film at Kenyatta University.
Awards Organizer
Mukami Maina is an upcoming film producer and a graduate of Kenyatta University with a degree in film and theatre studies. She is passionate about writing authentic African stories especially those that revolve around women and children.
Awards Coordinator
Peninah Wanjiru-Azmina is a video editor and photographer. She is also a lecturer at KCA University. She is passionate about empowering the African storytellers. She is pursuing her masters in film at Kenyatta University.
“If there’s specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can’t change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.” – Kathryn Bigelow
