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40Braids is an itinerant international festival, celebrating films by and about women; traveling its own
Silk Roads, weaving intercultural dialogue to support women's universal agency.

In each of its destinations it creates forums for dialogue, conferences, workshops and exhibitions bringing
together films and film-makers, rights activists, peacemakers, academics and artists to give a central place
to women's stories about their history and current realities challenging gender stereotypes, in order to
shape collective memory and build a common future for humanity.

40Braids aims to strengthen women's resilience in the face of inequalities, war, violence, militarism,
populism and extremism, and climate change through transnational North-South and South-South
dialogue.

OPEN ASIA, based in Paris, France and active for the last 24 years, is the founder of the 40Braids
Women’s Film Caravan.

40Braids benefits from the rich experience of OPEN ASIA and Armanshahr Foundation its sister
organization active in Afghanistan, in particular the successful establishment in 2013 and organization of
five editions of the International Women’s Film Festival – Herat in collaboration with local and
international partners.

A successful example of creating safe and innovative forums in a both closed and conflict-affected
context, this festival has brought hundreds of independent international films and related events to
thousands of participants in Afghanistan, a majority of whom are ordinary women.

PROGRAM 7 March 2020
Consult the biographies
filmmakers, speakers and artists here
10:00 Her Afghanistan
Screening of award winning animation film: Parvana, Nora Twomey, 94
min, Canada - Ireland - Luxembourg, 2018, (FR subtitles)
Parvana an 11-year-old girl, lives under Taliban rule. After the arrest of
her father, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy to support her
family.
11:30 Call to Action
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 “Stand with Women Peacebuilders”” Campaign launch. A
comprehensive campaign to sustain and elevate the vital work of
women peacebuilders and ensure their recognition, protection and
security. ICAN (WASL), Melinda Holmes (Program director
ICAN) accompanied by WASL members from Algeria, Mexico
and Pakistan
12:00 Debate: Afghanistan’s Women, nearly two decades after the
Taliban Regime
 Speakers Ms. Zargha Yaftali (UN N-Peace awardee), Ms.
Shukria Heydar (President of NEGAR), Mr. Zia Moballegh
(Researcher).
Moderator Ms. Guissou Jahangiri (Vice President FIDH |
Executive Director OPEN ASIA). Q&A
13:30 Cultural pause and light lunch
 Poems and accordion performance with the pianist and troubadour
Yvan Navaï
 Visit painting and poetry Exhibition, Audio-installation, book
stands and campaign corners
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 Exchange with the 40Braids international organizers, speakers,
artists, activists and publishers
 Share bread of friendship
14:45 Of Women, Wars and Migrations
Screenings of award-winning films and round table
 Tangle, Maliheh Gholamzadeh, 7 mins, Animation, Iran, 2019. A
glimpse into the life of a girl during wartime.
 Bitter Sea, Fateme Ahmadi, 15 mins, Fiction, England - Iran, 2017
(FR subtitles). A single immigrant mother who has to hide her
five-year-old daughter from her boss and land-lord in order to keep
her job and home in London.
15:15 Why 40Braids?
Presentation of 40Braids; an itinerant international film festival
celebrating films by and about women, travelling own Silk Roads and
weaving intercultural dialogue in support of women’s universal agency.
Guissou Jahangiri (Vice President FIDH| Executive Director OPEN
ASIA)
15:30 Round Table: Gender equality? Two steps forward, one step
back
To mark International Women’s rights day
 Speakers: Dr. Isabelle Konuma (Professor & gender equality
referent INALCO), Dr. Bahar Azadi (Post doc researcher), Dr.
Neelam Raina (Global Challenges Research Fund, UK Research
and Innovation), Ms. Souhayr Belhassen (Honorary President of
FIDH and member of 40Braids Patrons Committee)
Moderator: Dr. Azadeh Kian (Professor of Sociology, Director of
the Center for Teaching, Documentation and Research on Feminist
Studies - CEDREF).
Followed by Q&A with the Public

17:00-18:30 Screening of award-winning documentary
 Tiny Souls, Dina Naser, 86 ', Documentary, Jordan - Palestine -
Qatar, 2019 (FR subtitles). Marwa is nine years old, she flees
Syria with her family and ends up in Jordan. They believe they
will only stay a few months in the refugee camp, but that
quickly turns into years. Followed by a short video presentation
by Dina Naser.
All-day Cultural side events
They make the Earth Go Round
 Inauguration of painting exhibition: They Make the Earth Go
Round in the presence of the artist Patrick Navaï
 Her voice Audio installation in presence of Hoda Siahtiri
(performer and art researcher)
 Poems and accordion performance with the pianist and
troubadour Yvan Navaï
 Women celebrate Peace; exhibition of peace poems from OPEN
ASIA’s “SIMORGH” International Peace Prize
 FIDH, The International Registry of World Citizens corner
 Stand with Women Peacebuilders Campaign corner (ICAN,
WASL)
 The Publishers stand (Editions Carnets-Livres, INALCO)
 Launch of 40Braids Contest for best Postcard
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OPEN ASIA’s 7th edition of SIMORGH International Peace Prize
supports 40Braids by an international call for contribution to artists and
photographers.
40Braids marks International Women’s rights day, the 25th anniversary of the
Fourth World Conference on Women & adoption of the Beijing Declaration
& Platform for Action (Beijing+25); the 20th anniversary of the UN Security
Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and the 40th
anniversary of CEDAW.
An OPEN ASIA France programme, in collaboration with
Armanshahr Foundation and support of SIMORGH International
Peace Prize,
In collaboration with and support of FIDH (International Federation for
Human Rights), Docmaniacs Collective, CEDREF (Centre for
Teaching, documentation, and research on feminist Studies), Six
Space, RebelUp!, Alternative ASEAN-Burma, Cinema Is
Incomplete, UniR (Universités et Réfugié.e.s), Éditions Carnets-
Livres, Armanshahr Publishing, The International Registry of
World Citizens, The Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation,
Bibliothèque Marguerite Durand, Art Cantara, LDH (The League
for Human Rights-France), In-Docs, Atelier des Artistes en Exil,
ICAN (International Civil Society Action Network, WASL (Women's
Alliance for Security Leadership), CERMOM (Centre de recherches
Moyen Orient et Méditerranée INALCO), Mission égalité femmes-
hommes de l'INALCO (l’Institut National des Langues et Civilisations
Orientales), BULAC (Bibliothèque Universitaire des Langues
Orientales).
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Practical information

FREE ADMISSION

WHEN: Saturday, March 7, 2020

TIME: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: BULAC Auditorium

65 Rue des Grands Moulins, 75013 Paris
Public transport : Metro line 14 or RER C (Bibliothèque François-
Mitterrand stations), Bus number 27, 62, 64, 89, 132, 325, N 131,
Tramway T3 (Avenue de France)

CONTACT TEL. 0662153297, 0778689087

40braidsfilmcaravan@gmail.com
www.40braids.org
FACEBOOK
Instagram: @40braids Twitter: @ARMANSHAHR_OA

MORE information: www.40braids.org

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)