Zimbabwe Jury

“[Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai] portrays a woman’s fight against all odds not to be a victim in her own natural environment. Indeed, ‘the tree woman’ and her initiative of planting trees led to the emancipation of women in her community. Through this act, she became the epitome of success and a role model of an enriching woman.”

Jury,
International Images Film Festival for Women,
Zimbabwe upon presenting the Best Documentary Award

(The annual International Images Film Festival for Women (IIFF, held in Harare and Bulawayo from November to December in Zimbabwe), has been described as the most important film festival in Zimbabwe by the Namibian Weekender on January 23, 2009. IIFF is attended by delegates from all over the country, region and the continent as well as the ordinary Zimbabweans. The festival is celebrated under a woman-centric theme brought to life by a female protagonist in each film screened, which brings a new perspective to ordinary Zimbabweans thereby broadening their thoughts and horizons. More and more women from various walks of life are becoming more confident and believe in the shift from the bottom rung to the top of the ladder of success in their different spheres of life. Last year, more than 4000 individuals, both male and female, engaged with the women centered narratives presented by IIFF and as a result the lives, challenges and triumphs of women became unignorable [sic].)