The art, visual productions, and stories are related to the theme of addressing and studying sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), created by More than Words and its partners emphasizing the reach and impact of the work of More Than Words.
Now more than ever, we need conversation, connection, and community—not silence. This is a time to engage with one another on the issues that matter, from challenging gender norms to building meaningful relationships.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about sudden shifts in the lives of individuals as well as rapid and monumental social change globally. With distancing becoming a necessary practice, the manner in which we communicate with one another -as individuals and as communities- has evolved quite dramatically. The organizers on this special theme within the history of the International Cellphilm Festival (the 8thin our series) invited people to submit short cellphilms on the theme Well-being in the Time of Distancing.
As we proposed in the call for submissions: “Here is a chance to tell a story, give an original twist on distancing and isolation or explore new ideas of connectedness during the pandemic. While a great many of us rely on our cellphones to stay connected –now, more than ever --this is an opportunity to use your cellphone (or other devices) in a creative way. We are inviting submissions that explore how individuals, groups, families and/or communities have been experiencing distancing. How has this changed your daily life? What coping strategies have been useful? What new things have you learned about yourself? How are you connecting with the world?”
This year’s Cellphilm Festival was the first to be conducted online as an entirely virtual event. This presented novel challenges for the festival organizers, judges, and producers as the festival planning had to be readily adapted to the technology and platforms available while maintaining safe social distancing practices. Because the festival was unable to take place in-person, the virtual livestream of the event, which took place on June 12th, 2020, was recorded for later viewings.
The showcase of films below displays some of the main features that have been created by community partners and particularly young girls to combat sexual and gender-based violence. Amongst the main techniques, is the use of cell and smart phones to capture the ongoing struggles and life decisions made everyday around these issues, and to use the power of the new medium to visually express more than words. The IHDW and its partners have been at the forefront of exploring this participatory visual methodology, now garnering the title of "Cellphilms", and has been a host to an international cellphilm festival for several ongoing years.
