The film Nome will be the first showing of this year’s International Images Film Festival (IIFF), which will take place at various locations in Conakry, Guinea’s capital from November 28 to December 2.

The yearly festival serves as an exhibition space for movies with at least one prominent female role, giving African women role models to look up to when they see other women participating in the film industry and having a good influence on their own lives and communities.

The 20th edition of the festival, which is produced by the Institute of Creative Arts for Progress in Africa (ICAPA) Trust and is supervised by seasoned writer and director Tsitsi Dangarembga, will focus on the topic Women of Hope.

There will be movie screenings at Dzivarasekwa Community Center Hall 1, the Alliance Française on Herbert Chitepo Avenue, and Batanai Gardens (B2C) in the heart of Harare.

The festival will feature a jam-packed schedule that includes screenings, workshops, and an award ceremony for the top films on the final day, according to festival manager Tafadzwa Chovuchovu, who spoke with NewsDay Life & Style.

“The opening film at this year’s festival is Nome, directed by Sana Na N’handa. The film was released in May 2023. It follows the story that took place in Guinea-Bissau in 1969, during the war of independence between the Portuguese colonial army and the guerrillas of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea,” she said.

“The protagonist, Nome, leaves his village and joins the ranks of the guerrillas. After years of struggle, he returns to his village as a hero. However, the initial joy soon gives way to bitterness and cynicism. This is the story of Nome.”

Chovuchovu disclosed that ICAPA director Dangarembga selected the opening picture after seeing it at the Cannes Picture Festival.