Cultuurhaven x Mesopotamië: The Hague International Women's Film Festival

• Date: 08 March
• Time: 13:00 - 17:30
• Location: Auditorium, West Den Haag

On International Women's Day, West and the Mesopotamia Foundation celebrate International Women's Day with a series of special short films.

The Hague International Women's Film Festival 2026

Date: March 8, 2026 (International Women's Day)
Location: Auditorium, West Den Haag
Address: Lange Voorhout 102, in the former American Embassy
Times: 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM

On International Women's Day, the Mesopotamia Foundation collaborates with West Den Haag to screen a striking selection of short films that reflect on the self-determination of women and children around the world. Family relationships, feelings of confinement, physical powerlessness, finding breathing space, surviving the teenage years, coping with childhood trauma, and fighting oppression—the themes of these short films reveal what remains a daily reality for many women today, emphasizing the crucial importance of emancipation. This will be further explored in the lecture by Fatma Aktaş of the Avrasya Foundation, who will discuss racism and women in cinema. The afternoon will also be enriched with several workshops on poetry and collage making, and several poems will be recited. Contributions will include Olaya El Idrissi Al Bouzidi, Khadija Bouachrine, Shahrzad Khoshnam, Hanin Amin, and Wiam Alsewadi.
Admission is free with registration via this page.

---
FILM PROGRAM

ECHO
Azza Kamel
Egypt | 11 min | Drama
After decades of icy alienation, Abdel-Rahim returns to his roots. Once back in his mother's hushed room, he unleashes a storm of confessions, a desperate attempt to open the door to the past. But in her silence, a devastating discovery awaits: what could have granted him forgiveness has long been erased by time. Echo is a cinematic gem about the cruelty of belated words. A compelling exploration of human tragedy, where a cry for reconciliation sometimes remains suspended in an unreachable vacuum.
Azza Kamel is a filmmaker, writer, philosopher, and feminist advocate. She is the driving force behind the Aswan International Women Film Festival and has made powerful contributions to redefining female identity in global media. In 2025, her work was recognized with the Arab Women Excellence Award.

SALAMLEK
Amro Ali
Syria | 9 min | Fiction
Within the walls of a suffocating patriarchy, where a religiously extremist brother dictates the atmosphere, a teenage girl searches for breathing space. In SALAMLEK, we see how a fleeting moment of pure freedom collides with the unforgiving walls of reality. A cinematic exploration of the boundary between dream and oppression, captured in a powerful and intimate portrait.
Amro Ali is a filmmaker who translates the harsh reality of Syria into a universal visual language. He achieved international fame with his film Coma, which won awards at the Arab film festivals of Malmö and Rotterdam.

IN-OUT

Yara Sharyan, Tcheily Yazbeck

Lebanon | 16 min | Fiction

When their parents' sudden separation turns their world upside down, 12-year-old Sama and 10-year-old Yasmine are placed with their grandmother. IN-OUT shows how two sisters process their pain in a strange place and struggle to find balance in their new daily lives.

Inspired by true events from the filmmakers' childhoods, the film is an ode to the strength that lies in vulnerability. It offers a reflection on the influence of family dynamics on our identity—as children, and for the rest of our lives.

Yara Sharyan and Tcheily Yazbeck are a dynamic team exploring the boundaries of Lebanese independent cinema. With experience at international media outlets such as Al Jazeera, DW, and Al Araby TV, they combine journalistic precision with poetic cinema. Their successful participation in the Beirut Shorts Film Festival marks the start of a promising course in international auteur cinema.

Show on map