Mary, 19
Uganda Fellows workshop attendee
“I am the first girl in my village to learn how to use a camera. I am determined to write stories and shoot films that inspire people.”
We’re training the next generation of filmmakers to tell stories about women and girls and spark positive change. We equip young people with cameras, and our Fellows lead hands-on filmmaking workshops. “Within two days participants were confidently operating cameras,” says ConnectHER Fellow Lubanga Hakim, who led a workshop in Kampala, Uganda.
“These workshops encourage them to highlight the issues that women and girls face in their community and allows them to discover viable solutions.” —Halimah Tariq, ConnectHER Fellow in Islamabad, Pakistan
Meet the Fellows
Halimah Tariq
Pakistan
Halimah Tariq is a lawyer and award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her production company, Stories of the Soil, promotes activism through film. Her film Fatima, which exposes the working conditions of female brickmakers in the kilns around Lahore, won the ConnectHER Film Festival’s Green IS Environmental Film Award.
Novera Hasan Nikkon
Bangladesh
Novera Hasan Nikkon is a student filmmaker from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Now an undergraduate studying fine arts at Jagannath University, she has worked on five films as an associate director and screenwriter. Nikkon’s first film, Let Me Breathe with My Dream, received many awards, including Judges’ Choice 1st Runner Up at ConnectHER Film Festival.
Lubanga Abdulhakim
Uganda
Lubanga Hakim is a born leader and a passionate advocate for women’s rights. As a ConnectHER Fellow, he leads filmmaking workshops with Bigman Studios in Uganda. Lubanga has also led successful ConnectHER film screening events to celebrate International Day of the Girl.
Aneta Felix
Nigeria
Aneta Felix is a documentary filmmaker and a broadcast journalist who works across TV, radio, and online platforms. She is currently a reporter and presenter at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where she covers issues affecting Nigerians on the show Gist Nigeria.
Aya Matrabie
Palestine
Aya Matrabie is a freelance audiovisual artist who has a passion for making creative documentaries. Her film Dara won the People’s Choice Award at the ConnectHER Film Festival in 2020. Aya leads film training workshops for girls in Gaza in conjunction with Al Nayzak, a nonprofit that prepares Palestinian youth for careers in STEM.
Prince Kumar
India
Prince Kumar is a student filmmaker from India. He is currently pursuing postgraduate in cinema at Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. His film "Searching for Dignity" won the Best Film Production Award at the 2023 ConnectHER Film Festival and his film "Mothers’ Football Team" won $2500 as part of the Global Impact Award to support the women featured in film.
Mira Khadka
Nepal
Born in Nepal, Mira Khadka is a young and passionate aspiring filmmaker based in Kathmandu. Despite being a student of social work, she stepped into filmmaking as an actor. Slowly the ‘behind the scenes’ world of film production started to interest her. Out of curiosity, she decided to experiment to explore other aspects of filmmaking and began making short films on her own. With a curious mind and passionate heart, Mira is determined to bring out under-narrated female stories to the world, through her films, focusing mostly on her personal life experiences. She submitted her films The Sand Game and Toothache to the ConnectHER Film Festival.
Circle Cinema
Indonesia
Indonesian Filmmakers Selma Tijany, Joylita Ficha and Salabiil Azzahra make up Circle Cinema, a creative and collaborative circle bringing a passion for filmmaking and cinematography to their community.
About
The ConnectHER Fellowship is a mentorship program in which young filmmakers deliver peer-to-peer filmmaking workshops in their communities. We are building a pipeline of young filmmakers to advocate for women and girls around the world. Workshop participants gain confidence as they learn to embrace technology and tell powerful stories that can change the world.
FAQ
1What are ConnectHER Fellowships?
ConnectHER Fellowships provide an opportunity for young filmmakers to teach filmmaking and storytelling skills to other youth in their communities - and to spark advocacy around issues that impact women and girls globally.
2Who is eligible to be a ConnectHER Fellow?
Youth filmmakers who have submitted films to the ConnectHER Film Festival are eligible.
3Do I need to have filmmaking experience to be a fellow?
Yes, you should have at least a basic knowledge of filmmaking. You can also bring in experienced filmmakers to your workshops to help teach.
4What is expected of a ConnectHER Fellow?
ConnectHER Fellows are expected to host one workshop (in the fall). Each workshop should have a minimum of 15 participants aged 13 to 25. The majority of attendees should be girls (70 % girls), although boys are welcome. Fellows should teach basic filmmaking skills that enable participants to make a short film for the ConnectHER Film Festival (submission guidelines here). Fellows create their own curriculum for their workshops (we can provide samples) and are encouraged to invite community experts. Fellows are expected to give a report at the end of the workshop (we can provide guidelines).
5How long is a typical workshop?
Workshops should be 24 to 35 hours in total, typically held in eight 3- to 4-hour sessions within an 8 week time span (i.e., a 3 to 4 hour class every Sunday in January and February). You can also do a one week intensive workshop.
6Can I do the entire workshop in a weeklong course?
Yes, if you prefer to do a more intensive, weeklong workshop, that's fine!
7Is there a stipend to cover the workshop costs?
Yes, we provide a stipend of $1,000US to cover the costs of hosting a workshop.
8Will any filmmaking equipment be provided?
You are encouraged to borrow equipment locally. Feel free to contact us at connecther@connecther.org about further equipment needs.
9What is the selection process?
ConnectHER identifies past film festival entrants for this fellowship. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please email us at connecther@connecther.org.
10Can I be a fellow more than once?
Yes, previous fellows are eligible to apply.
11Do workshop participants need to have filmmaking experience?
No, workshop attendees need no previous filmmaking experience.
12How do I recruit workshop participants?
Past fellows have recruited participants through schools and community groups that serve youth.
13Where should the workshop be held?
You should host the workshop in the region where you live. Find a local community center, classroom, or other venue, or you can host the workshop on Zoom.
14How many fellows are chosen per year?
We currently choose a couple of fellows each year. That may increase to 5 to 10 per year, depending on funding.
15 Filmmakers from what countries are eligible for the program?
Filmmakers from all countries are welcome to participate. The exceptions are residents of Cuba, North Korea, Sudan, Iran, or Syria, where unfortunately we are not able to disburse funds.
16Will there be any training for fellows?
We are counting on you to develop a program that meets the needs of your community. However, we will connect you with former fellows so you can ask questions and get advice. In addition, we can provide training materials from past workshops. Our staff is always available for questions.
17Where can I see past and current Fellows?
We will feature all Fellows on our website.