Wales One World Film Festival announces 2024 lineup

WOW Wales One World Film Festival has announced its 2024 line-up, featuring a captivating selection of films from around the globe, championing a cinema without borders.

The festival will kick off in Bangor on Monday 11 March with the Oscar-nominated Tunisian film Four Daughters, a gripping and true-to-life portrayal of hope, rebellion, violence, intergenerational transmission, and sisterhood.

WOW will also present Mami Wata, an arresting piece of cinematography and box office hit at all four of its partner cinemas in Wales.

Wales-wide events

In Swansea, audiences can enjoy six films, among which are stories from the Tibetan and Mongolian highlands: the late Pema Tseden’s comedy Snow Leopard, and the coming-of-age drama City of Wind.

For a week from Friday 22 March audiences can enjoy the festival’s entire programme in Aberystwyth.

Programme highlights include the electrifying Disco Boy, and the delicate exploration of the life of kindergarteners in modern Iranian society in Numb.

The festival’s Ecosinema strand includes the beautifully-shot must-watch Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods documenting the real-life ‘odyssey’ of a young girl travelling down the Brahmaputra river in search of her father.

The Ecosinema strand also includes the UK premieres of This Is Fracking, the untold story of what happens in Argentina’s Patagonia shale gas reserves, and !AITSA, where ancient Indigenous wisdom challenges high-tech science against South Africa’s semi-desert backdrop.

Solidarity with Gaza

A special addition to this year’s programme is the ‘Creating Safer Space’ project’s short films, presented in collaboration with Aberystwyth University’s International Politics department.

Born out of an international research and impact collaboration, these films explore topics like the intricate dynamics of hydro-social relations in Colombia, and the Indigenous women’s role in self-protection.

In solidarity with the people of Gaza, WOW will screen the 1995 Tale of The Three Jewels, the first feature film ever to be shot entirely in the Gaza Strip, in Bangor and Aberystwyth.

These are charity screenings and all proceeds will be donated to Medical Aid for Palestinians(MAP).

Anime

Abercon, WOW’s inclusive anime convention, a partnership event with Mencap Ceredigion, returns to Aberystwyth Arts Centre on Saturday 23 March.

The theme this year is community and the event will celebrate all the things that bring us together. There will be cosplay, animation workshops, stalls, a DJ and entertainment for all ages, plus an accessible screening of Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar nominated anime The Boy and the Heron.

For anyone who can’t attend the festival in person, WOW will present a curated selection online across the UK from Friday 22 March until Sunday 31 March, offering people the chance to enjoy short and feature films from the comfort of their home.

Find out more about the festival and events here.