ISLAMABAD: The third iteration of the Women International Film Festival (WIFF19) screened Thirst, a Bulgarian film directed by Svetla Tsotsorkova, at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) on Tuesday.
The sensitive story revolved around a family whose livelihood depends on water in a parched village.
The mother washes bed linens for the local hotels but with water scarce, the family pays a pair of water diviners, father and daughter, to locate a consistent source of water for them.
Beautifully directed with wide angle shots of an arresting landscape, the film captures the complexity of relationships.
The screening was followed by a question and answer session with Roumen Pirontchev, the ambassador of Bulgaria.
The festival, which opened on Monday, has selected films from around the world that engage and educate people on women rights, gender issues, child abuse, sexual harassment and stories of remarkable men and women who participated in the struggle for equality and empowerment.
The first screening on Monday was of the Spanish film Summer 1993, directed by Carla Simon, was an autobiographical tale of an orphan who makes a new life with her relatives in the countryside, addressing the loss of innocence that bereavement brings.