EXCLUSIVE: Poster for IDFA International Competition title Writing Hawa
- Shot over the course of five years, Najiba Moori’s documentary follows three generations of Hazara women in Afghanistan
Filmed over five years, Writing Hawa [+see also:
film review
interview: Najiba Noori, Rasul Noori
film profile] follows three generations of Hazara women in Afghanistan. In it, Afghani helmer Najiba Noori captures her mother Hawa and niece Zahra as they strive to break free from patriarchal traditions. Forced into marriage as a child, Hawa, at 52, finally learns to read, opens a textile business and rescues Zahra from an abusive father. But with the return of the Taliban to power, her dreams, along with those of her daughter and granddaughter, are shattered as they face new struggles.
The documentary is set to premiere in the International Competition of this year’s IDFA (14-24 November), the world’s largest gathering celebrating non-fiction filmmaking.
"In the poster for Writing Hawa, I aimed to reflect Hawa’s journey towards independence through essential elements of her story," explains Lola Duval, the designer behind the artwork. "Hawa learns to read and write, and starts a small business, turning embroideries from the Bamiyan mountains into dresses to sell in Kabul. I collaborated with Deyana Rafat, a Hazara woman in exile, to create an embroidery that now frames the poster. The central image captures Hawa and her granddaughter Zahra learning to write together, symbolising two generations. Additionally, Lebanese artist Naji Elmir redesigned texts from the film into patterns on their dresses, with elegant Farsi letters that add deeper meaning for those who understand the language," she revealed.
Writing Hawa was produced by Christian Popp for France's TAG Film, and co-produced by Hasse van Nunen and Renko Douze for Dutch firm Een van de jongens, in association with ARTE France and EOdocs. It was made with the support of the CNC, the Sundance Film Institute, the Doha Film Institute, the IDA, the Catapult Film Fund, Procirep/Angoa, the Docs Up Fund, Madre, FilmAid and Women Make Movies. First Hand Films is in charge of its international sales.
Check out our exclusive poster below:
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
