Production of Short Films

Tender Description

Terms of Reference

Consulting Services: Production of Short Films for the We Effect Project

Project: Strengthening a Gender-Responsive Environment in Rural Development and Cooperative Sector

Project Duration: 2019 - 2022

About PWWSD

Established in 1981, The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) is a non-governmental women’s, mass, developmental, and learning human rights organization that contributes to developing feminist struggle within national, social, and developmental dimensions. The organization believes that liberating women is connected directly with ending the occupation and establishing a full Palestinian democratic sovereign civil state. PWWSD is active all over West Bank including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip and is an active member in several local, regional, and global networks and coalitions.

The Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) aims for a free and democratic Palestinian society based on gender equality, respect for human rights and social justice. The organization promotes women empowerment, women’s participation in the national struggle against the occupation, women’s contribution to the development processes, the entitlement of woman to political, economic and civic rights, women’s access to justice and their right to a life free of violence.

About the Project

In October 2019, the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development (PWWSD) was selected by We Effect to serve as the Feminist Expert Organization to support strengthening gender mainstreaming approaches in policies, strategies and programs within its program titled “Equality First”. The latter aims to strengthen civil society actors in rural development and gender equality in Palestine.

The project “Strengthening a Gender-Responsive Environment in Rural Development and Cooperative Sector” is implemented in close partnership with the Economic and Social Development Centre of Palestine (ESDC), The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem (ARIJ), the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), the Land Research Centre (LRC), and the Palestinian Agricultural Cooperative Union (PACU). The overall objective of the project is to contribute to strengthening a gender equal environment for women’s access to land and productive resources through improving their livelihood conditions and active opportunities in development processes. Our aim is to create an advanced gender mainstreaming system within partner organizations that reflect different models, mind-sets, values and purpose in rural and cooperatives development.

Objective of the consultancy

The overall objective of this consultancy is to produce three short films, on the following:

Video-graphic on the impact of the occupation on rural women’s economic rights

While exploiting the world’s preoccupation with the pandemic, the recent decision by the Israeli military occupation to annex parts of the West Bank is only the latest in a series of Israeli policies and decisions that directly contradict United Nations resolutions and violate international humanitarian law, which enshrines the rights of Palestinians. This move reveals a lack of respect for and intention to comply with the UN Secretary-General’s 2020 call for a global ceasefire so that resources can instead be directed towards combatting COVID-19. The lack of accountability of the Israeli military government contributes to the continuation of violence and aggression against Palestinian men, women and children, and to the degradation of Palestinian land and natural resources. It has particularly devastating effects on Palestinian rural women and girls who, in addition to settler-colonial military violence and relevant economic violence, must also contend with discrimination and gender-based violence within a patriarchal Palestinian society.

The main objective of this video is to highlight the impact of the practices of military occupation on rural women’s economic rights; key barriers, needs, constraints and opportunities (or thereof lost opportunities) and to amplify the voices of rural women. A significant goal of the video-graphic is to increase visibility of rural women rights and needs in rural communities, more specifically in the agricultural and cooperatives sectors, threats to their lives and livelihoods, and the coping mechanisms they have developed.

Evidence-based documentary for national and global advocacy

As part of the 17 Days campaign for rural women, this short evidence-based documentary aims to amplify the voices of rural women in the occupied Palestinian territories, to advocate for their rights and to raise awareness on the discriminative legal systems against them. The documentary will be based on evidence collected from the field, covering different Palestinian areas and interviews with rural women. The documentary aims to provide a background on the existing national policies regarding rural women in the agricultural sector. Having said the latter, the documentary will act as an advocacy tool to increase women’s equal engagement in the agricultural system and promote their rights.

The challenges imposed by COVID-19 on rural women

It is evident that COVID-19 has greatly affected the economic sector especially small business owners and cooperatives. The short film aims to explore the challenges and concerns of the rural women caused by COVID-19, from a gender perspective. In addition to, an evaluation of the role of the emergency committees in assisting and distributing the products of the (women-led) cooperatives in the rural areas. As a result the short film will provide rural women with a platform to voice out their concerns and priorities to duty bearers.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Video production company will undertake the following tasks:

Field visits to the areas targeted by the short films
Consultations with the partner organizations regarding the right holders.
Conduct interviews with the right holders.
Support the films with evidence-based data.
Submit the short films with English subtitles.
Present the demands of rural women (according to the aim of each film).

Key Deliverables:

The draft of the three short films (by 10 October).
The final products in high quality Arabic and English subtitles with integrated comments and inputs provided by PWWSD and Project Partners providing (by October 15).

The Video production company is required to:

Maintain an open and frequent communication with PWWSD.
Submit the three short films in a timely manner under the terms of the contract.
Submit the final products in Arabic with English subtitles.
The short films should not exceed 4 minutes.
The maximum duration for the consultancy services is 25 working days from signing date of the consultancy contract.

Required Qualifications

Graduate degree in cinematography, documentary film making or any relevant field.
Previous experience in producing films on gender related topics (examples will be requested).
An understanding of national and international policy and legal frameworks on gender equality, women's rights, and women’s access to economic and productive resources, including understanding of social, cultural, economic and political context of Palestine.

How to Apply

Interested Video-production companies are required to prepare and submit the following:

- A work plan including the proposed timeframe.
- CV/s of the service provider/s.
- Financial offer: budget breakdown of the proposed costs in ILS including VAT (a separate financial offer for each video).

Interested Individual Consultants are requested to send the above package in a sealed envelope to the office of the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development in Ramallah – Alanbia St., Real Estate Company Building, Palestine. Tel: +972022986761 or +972022981977 with the subject line: “analytical report on the available national policy frameworks that are directed to promote the economic rights of rural women in Palestine.”

Deadline for Submission

Interested consulting firms are requested to submit their offers by 09 September 2020