“We Mainstream Gender Into Our Festival” – Kashim

Founder and Artistic Director of the Kaduna International Film Festival (KADIFF), Israel Audu Kashim has disclosed ways the festival mainstreams gender into its activities.

According to Kashim, the festival saw fifteen female filmmakers submit their films for possible festival screening, this year, courtesy of its waiver of the film submission fees for women filmmakers throughout the month of March – in commemoration of the International Women’s Day/Month.

Some of their female directors’ films are nominated for screening at the festival.

Similarly, KADIFF engenders equal participation of women at the festival via a panel discussion focused on female filmmakers.

“We started the female focused filmmakers panel three editions ago. The panel reviews the challenges, growth and impact of the female filmmakers in the film and creative industry,” said Kashim.

In a related development, the festival in collaboration with Lipton (Yellow Label), has called for a 10 minutes short films submissions.

Young filmmakers are expected to create 10 minutes shorts depicting narratives of how their friends or family take their breakfast with Lipton tea.

First and second runner-up winners will receive Lipton brand products, while the winner of the competition will be awarded a N300,000 cash prize and Lipton brand product.

Themed ‘Film For Social’ the eighth edition of KADIFF will hold August 25 to 30, 2025 at the Silverbird Galleria and Alliance Francais, Kaduna.