Harare to Host International Images Film Festival for Women 2025

Harare will host the International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF) 2025 from August 22, opening with the screening of Hanami, a 2024 co-production directed by Denise Fernandes.

The festival’s theme, Women Make the World a Better Place, will guide a week-long showcase of films highlighting women’s resilience, leadership, and transformation. The closing film, Home, a 2025 Kenyan short by Adelle Onyango, will be screened at the Alliance Française de Harare.

Screenings will be held at Dzivarasekwa 1 Community Hall, Nhaka Gallery, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, and Alliance Française. Audiences can expect diverse storytelling from across the globe.

Founder and ICAPA director Tsitsi Dangarembga described IIFF as a platform that brings films to both rural and urban communities, encouraging engagement and dialogue. Each year, the festival screens around sixty films aligned to its theme, awarding the best in each category during the closing ceremony. The jury includes both local and international filmmakers.

Hanami follows Rosa, a Cape Verdean woman returning to her island home after decades in Europe. Filmed across Cape Verde, Switzerland, and Portugal, the film uses visual imagery inspired by cherry blossoms to reflect on identity, memory, and renewal. Through flashbacks and dreamlike sequences, Fernandes presents a story of cultural reconnection and self-discovery.

Onyango’s Home will close the festival with a 20-minute exploration of returning home after trauma. Set in Nairobi, it tells the story of Amina, a survivor of gender-based violence, as she confronts the emotional weight of her past. The film’s minimalistic settings and strong performances deliver a powerful message on healing and reclaiming agency.

IIFF 2025 aims to do more than entertain. By presenting films such as Hanami and Home, it sparks conversations, inspires change, and reinforces the idea that women’s stories are essential to making the world better.