CRI Sponsors Women's Voices From the Muslim World: A Short-Film Festival

We are happy to announce that CRI has become an official co-sponsor of Women's Voices from the Muslim World: A Short-Film Festival. The Festival is a first of it's kind and will feature a collection of short films about, and produced by, women of all faiths living in Muslim-majority countries and Muslim women living as minorities around the globe.

By showcasing short films the festival and Women's Voices Now (WVN) aims to empower women and give voice to their struggles for civil, economic and political rights. The Festival will present an unfiltered and honest account of these women's stories–the experiences that shaped their lives, the challenges that must be overcome before freedom and gender equality become the status quo, the struggle for freedom of expression and inalienable human rights, and the people who are making this transformation happen.

Empowering female voices in the Muslim world and raising awareness about the situation of female children in the Muslim world, is essential in working towards implementing the human rights of both groups in those areas. CRI therefore considers WVN's efforts as being closely tied to ours in combating the abuse of children and women and the radicalization of children towards violence.

Submissions will compete for cash prizes of $35,000 and the opportunity to be featured in the WVN Festival in Los Angeles, March 10-12, 2011.

Please take the opportunity to watch and rate some of the festival's recent submissions by clicking here. Official co-sponsors of the festival are listed here.

For a recent article by author Qanta Ahmed on the Festival posted on the Huffington Post please click here, and to read an interview with the Festival's founder Catinca Tabacaru click here.

We wish all of the filmmakers good luck!