(L-R) Thouria Mahmoud, Ola Diab, Shereena Qazi and Zainab Sultan

Four junior Journalism students from Northwestern University in Qatar are in Los Angeles this week, showcasing their short films and documentaries at ‘Women’s Voices from the Muslim World: A Short Film Festival’, which is taking place from 17-19 March at the Los Angeles Film School, Hollywood.

Class partners Shereena Qazi and Ola Diab entered their sophomore year project ‘The Unveiled’, a documentary about the controversy of wearing the veil in Muslim communities. “Some Muslims believe that women are required to wear it in Islam, whereas others believe that it is a choice and not a requirement” said Ola, describing her film on the festival website. “This ambiguity is a result of different interpretations of a Quran verse which is about women covering their bodies”.

Shereena Qazi, meanwhile, also produced her documentary ‘Women in a Refugee Camp in Pakistan’, about women living in a refugee camp named Jalozai Camp in Pakistan. “People from tribal regions of Pakistan came in to this camp due to the war in their homeland” she said. “My video focuses on women of tribal regions who don’t even know how to read and write, but with the help of foreign organizations they are learning many things related to health and hygiene.”

Jalozai Camp, Pakistan. from Shereena Qazi on Vimeo.

Thouria Mahmoud and Zainab Sultan entered ‘Breast Cancer In Qatar’, their sophomore year project. “We came across an article about the ‘Think Pink Campaign’, and the story was very appealing to us,” says Thouria. “We decided that people in Qatar should realise the seriousness of late treatment, and we treated this short documentary as an awareness video. We believe that every woman deserves a chance to live a happy healthy life, and accepting the idea of breast cancer and breaking through the taboo associated with it will help take Qatar a further step towards an open society”.

Breast Cancer in Qatar- Overcoming cultural boundaries from Zainab Sultan on Vimeo.

Ibrahim N. Abusharif, Assistant Professor at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Qatar, believes his junior students have made amazing progress in their two and half years at the university. “In class they have researched assignments and learned not only print journalism, but also storytelling through images, stills and video,” he said. “Their experience has given them the temperament and acumen to look for and find interesting stories with broad appeal and meaning.”

Women’s Voices from the Muslim World: A Short-Film Festival is being organised by Women’s Voices Now (WVN). Founded in January 2010, WVN’s mission is to empower women and give voice to the struggle for civil, economic, and political rights. They aim to create a catalyst for social change by providing the most widely accessible on-line outlet for emerging discussions on women’s rights issues, thereby educating, empowering and uniting those who participate, and contributing to the awareness, empowerment, and connectivity of women.

The Festival is a part of this initiative and, in partnership with numerous organisations focused on film, women’s rights and/or Muslim issues, it will provide a multimedia forum focused on giving a voice to women of all faiths living in Muslim-majority countries, as well as Muslim women living as minorities, around the globe. No other film project currently exists that is focused exclusively on women of the Muslim world, making this a unique forum from which to highlight pro-women voices from within the Muslim world and present an unfiltered and honest account of these women’s stories – the experiences that shape their lives, the challenges they must overcome and their struggle for freedom of expression and human rights.

Over 200 films were submitted from more than 40 countries, and of that 98 films were selected for the competition. With films currently being viewed, rated and commented upon in 139 countries, it would appear that WVN are achieving their goal of connecting thousands of people from around the world with these filmmakers and their subjects.

The Festival is both an opportunity for filmmakers to gain international recognition and exposure in the filmmaking industry, and for individuals to tell their stories that transcend the rules of traditional filmmaking. Filmmakers of any gender, nationality and religion are invited to submit films, but emphasis will be put on generating submissions from women living in Muslim-majority countries, with the added promise that confidentiality and anonymity requests will be fully honoured.

As well as being available online, the films, along with panels of speakers providing further insight and context, will be screened during an event at the Los Angeles Film School in March 2011 and in community screenings around the world. Categories – including Fiction, Documentary, Student Films and a new ‘Experimental’ subject – encourage submissions of silent films, animated films, mobile films and photo montages, as well as films where the content outweighs the technical tools and skills of the filmmaker.

For more information on the WVN go to their website http://womensvoicesnow.org/ and the Festival Films List .