Celebrated Detroit Female Filmmaker Wins Another International Award for First Ever Iraqi/American Film

The prestigious New York International Women Festival is a competitive festival dedicated to film style, and female gaze in cinema.

They have just awarded the important film POMEGRANATE, directed by Detroit’s Weam Namou with the award for “all categories for feature film directed by a woman.”

“I’m honored to receive this award,” said Namou. “ It would be great to see more movies like this one receive support and recognition. It’s not only entertaining, but it’s also empowering women in a positive direction. Women deserve the opportunity to have their own voice and express themselves freely. To pursue their dreams, and be respected for who they are.”

Namou’s Pomegranate is the first Iraqi-American narrative film led by a creative team from the community being portrayed, specifically a female writer/director and female leading cast. “Pomegranate” was originally a script which was selected quarter finalist by Francis Coppola’s Zoetrope and was later turned into a novel and film. It’s a story about a young Iraqi Muslim refugee’s journey to her independence. Post-production was completed in March 2023, and the film is currently being offered to select film festivals.

About the movie :

In the weeks before the election of Donald Trump in 2016, a young, politically liberal, Iraqi, Muslim immigrant struggles to find her footing in a neighborhood of well-to-do, politically conservative, Iraqi, Christians while battling her family’s fears of deprivation and demands of loyalty to Muslim traditions.
Pomegranate Pictures, LL is owned and managed by the Director/Writer Weam Namou. She is working together in association with Executive Producer, Scott Rosenfelt, and Buffalo 8 Productions (Santa Monica, CA) to produce the movie. Pomegranate, the novel, was released in February 2021.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/zNzgvYdjRRI
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13091698/
Website: https://pomegranatemovie.com/
Novel is available on Amazon as paperback, eBook, and Audiobook

About the film festival :
First of all, it is a festival that valorizes the work of women filmmakers. They look for a unique and innovative perspective from female filmmakers to introduce them and promote them. They also accept projects directed by non-female directors who have something important to say about womanhood. Secondly, it is a festival to valorize the style and fashion in a film — films with good taste. https://niff.net/