Hosted by the AFMI (Arab Film & Media Institute), the Arab Women In The Arts (AWITA) showcase ran from 22nd to 27th July 2025. This year marked the fifth edition of the annual showcase featuring Arab women who have changed the game in terms of artistic expression and filmmaking quality.
Arab Women In The Arts: 5th Edition Showcase
The AWITA is a celebratory showcase of the very best work from Arab women artists. The showcase took place in New York City’s Nitehawk Cinema across one week. Alongside San Francisco Bay Area’s Roxie Theatre for one day on the 23rd July. All films shown were also available online for US viewers.
This year’s showcase focused on pioneering Tunisian filmmaker, Moufida Tlatli whose groundbreaking work has received international acclaim. Nanor Vosgueritchian programmed the successful fifth edition showcase.
Tlatli’s work is uniquely attuned to the struggles and desires of Arab women. These experiences are still observed and reverberate with familiarity not just across Arab countries, but the world.
(Nanor Vosgueritchian, AWITA: 5TH edition programmer).
AWITA Showcase Selection: Moufida Tlatli
The Arab Women In The Arts showcase featured a selection of work from their highlighted female artist, Moufia Tlatli. Born in Tunisia, Moufida Tlatli studied at IDHEC (The Institut des hautes études cinématographiques) – a Paris-based film school.
She then worked at the ORTF (Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française) as a script editor and production manager. Moufia worked as a film editor alongside popular Tunisian directors like Selma Baccar before branching out to make her own films.
From her first film, The Silences of the Palace (1994) to The Season of Men (2000), and Nadia et Sarra (2004) – below we explore the three main focused films at this year’s showcase.
Opening Night Showcase: The Silences of the Palace (1994)
Moufida Tlatli’s directorial debut, The Silences of the Palace (1994) was the feature film showcase for opening night. For two nights the film was shown in the Nitehawk Cinema, Williamsburg and at the Roxie Theatre, San Francisco. The film is set in Tunisia, sometime in the 1960s. It follows a nightclub singer – Alia (Ghalia Lacroix) who takes a trip to her mother’s Khedija (Amel Hedhili) old place of employment, the Bey’s Palace.
But her journey is not easy. Although Alia begins having negative memories of her mother’s experiences. Particularly with how she was treated by the male privileged class. However, told in flashbacks, Alia reflects on her younger self (played by Hend Sabry). Eventually she works out the pieces of her past and family history. Additionally, the first film for Moufida Tlatli saw her win the 1994 Camera d’Or at Cannes Film Festival. As well as further international film awards too.
Tlatli develops a masterful visual language that allows the story to flow between the past and present in a beautiful way.
Audience reaction to The Silences of the Palace (1994) from the Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg.
The Season of Men (2000)
Moufida Tlatli’s second feature was also showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. At this year’s AWITA showcase, the film was screened at Brooklyn Art Haus. This noughties Comedy-Drama is set on the Island of Djerba in Tunisia.
The Season of Men (2000) follows Aicha (Rabiah Ben-Abdullah) as she and her daughters, Meriem (Ghalia Benali) and Emna (Hind Sabri) live in an all-female community. Its title suggests the season when their husbands return to the island from mainland Tunisia.
The film explores life for women in a patriarchal society. But it also explores a commentary on the physical, psychological, and social constraints that women face on the island’s community.
Nadia et Sarra (2004)
Moufida’s next movie, Nadia et Sarra (2004) was screened at Woodbine. Nadia et Sarra (2004) follows a French professor, Nadia (Hiam Abbass) at Tunis University. But despite looking like she has her world together, Nadia’s relationship with her husband and daughter, Sarra (Dorra Zarrouk) is falling apart.
Nadia eventually grows unhappier as time moves on. The film explores the themes of womanhood, menopause, family tensions, generational differences, and patriarchal cultures.
In The Land of Women: Shorts Program
The In The Land of Women: Shorts Program showcased up-and-coming Arab women filmmakers, from Egypt, Canada, Lebanon, and Morocco. Such themes explored included coming-of-age, family, heritage, sexuality, and womanhood.
The Shorts Program was also discussed in the wider context of the highlighted filmmaker for the showcase, Moufida Taltli and her work. The shorts screening was a success, being the first to sell out. A filmmaking mixer was also hosted for networking opportunities. This connected filmmakers across various creative roles and different backgrounds.
Collective Lens: Online-exclusive Workshop
Feminist nonprofit organisation, Peace Is Loud held its own online-exclusive workshop (also available worldwide), titled ‘The Collective Lens’ – hosted by Florencia Verela. Along with New York-based guest filmmaker, Loulwa Khoury. The workshop aims to provide best practices to help filmmakers create their own campaigns and impact their own filmmaking process.
You can find out more about the Arab Film & Media Institute here and the Arab Women In The Arts annual showcase here.