Short films are all too often overlooked in the film world. But we know that their power and impact are just as valuable as those of longer films. This year we are breaking boundaries and are doing something unique: our opening film will consist of five unique short films, each with their own story and charm.
Type:
Fiction
Duration:
12 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Sevinaz Evdike
Country:
Kurdistan (Rojava)
Language:
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Synopsis
An old mother from Kobane grieves for the death of her young son, who was martyred in one of the battles against ISIS. She finds peace in her dreams every night, where she gets the chance to share her life and daily thoughts with her son.
Director
Gulê Welat is a Kurdish musician and filmmaker from Rojava. She worked as a Director Assistant in many productions of Rojava Film Commune like The End Will Be, Spectacular, Kobane, and The Lonely Trees. Now she is a member of Kezî Women Film Collective.
Type:
Fiction
Duration:
12 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Sevinaz Evdike
Country:
Kurdistan (Rojava)
Language:
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Type:
Documentary
Duration:
16 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Deni Bakr Sorani
Country:
Kurdistan (Bashur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Sorani)
Subtitles:
English
Synopsis
Mam Ali, an elderly man, has been working in the graveyard for more than 13 years. Mam Ali has prepared his entire life for a graveyard that dedicated to women who are killed by their relatives, society, husbands and fathers.
Mam Ali will dig graves for these women, bury them and serve their graves by himself.
Mam Ali is concerned about the oppression of these women in Kurdistan and stands as a protector to their graves
Director
Rekawt Hama Tofiq was born in 1982 in Sulaimani, Kurdistan. He holds a diploma in acting and directing. He is a member of the Kurdistan Artists Association. Director of Sulaimani Cinema Art Directorate / Ministry of Culture. He has directed four short films in the past.
Type:
Documentary
Duration:
16 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Deni Bakr Sorani
Country:
Kurdistan (Bashur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Sorani)
Subtitles:
English
Type:
Fiction
Duration:
16 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Ekin Koç – Ramazan Kılıç
Country:
Kurdistan (Bakur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Subtitles:
English
Synopsis
After the Kurdish satellite is taken away, 10 year old Şevîn wants to put a smile back on her bedridden and mute grandmother’s face. She does not understand Turkish and the television was the only way for her to see something of the world. Şevîn has a heartwarming plan to make her grandmother happy again.
Director
Ramazan Kılıç who was born in Ağrı, in the East of Turkey in 1993 and studied Cinema-TV, and Literature at İstanbul Şehir University in Istanbul. His previous film “The School Bus” competed in many prestigious film festivals. Including Clermont-Ferrand, Leeds, PÖFF Shorts, Odense, Palm Springs, Indy Shorts, and Bogoshorts. He was also involved as a producer for The Moisture which will have its World Premiere at 79th Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti Short Film Competition.
Type:
Fiction
Duration:
16 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Ekin Koç – Ramazan Kılıç
Country:
Kurdistan (Bakur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Subtitles:
English
Type:
Fiction
Duration:
15 minutes
Year:
2023
Directors:
Saman Hosseinpuor and Ako Zandkarimi
Producer:
Fariba Arab
Country:
Kurdistan (Rojhelat)
Language(s):
no dialogue
Synopsis
Far from his own homeland, a Kurdish refugee lives in his suitcase. In it he carries memories of his family. When someone steals the suitcase in the tumult of the foreign city center, he loses his home a second time.
Director
Saman Hosseinpuor
Saman Hosseinpuor was born in Saqez/Kurdestan/Iran in 1993. He started acting in theater when he was just 14 years old. He started filmmaking in 2008. In the meantime, he started writing short stories. He is a director and writer and he lives in Iran. He has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Cinema. He received more than 70 awards from international film festivals for his films. Saman Hosseinpuor made 10 short films.
Ako Zandkarimi
Ako Zandkarimi was born in Sanandaj/Kurdistan/Iran in 1993. He started filmmaking when he was just 15 years old and just a student in high school. That was the start of his passion for cinema. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Cinema. He received more than 50 awards from international film festivals for his films.
Type:
Fiction
Duration:
15 minutes
Year:
2023
Directors:
Saman Hosseinpuor and Ako Zandkarimi
Producer:
Fariba Arab
Country:
Kurdistan (Rojhelat)
Language(s):
no dialogue
Type:
Documentary
Duration:
19 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Hakikat Adalet Hafıza Merkezi
Country:
Kurdistan (Bakur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Synopsis
In March 1993, Gendarmerie Unit Commander Hasan Atilla Uğur and a group of soldiers in the administration organized a house in a residential area called “Dirbesiyê” in Mardin-Kızıltepe, which was then a town, now a neighborhood, right next to the Syrian/Rojava border.
As a justification, everyone says that the star symbol on the iron window railings in the house represents the PKK, and Hasan Atilla orders the star symbol in Uğur’s print to be removed. The symbol of the star was perceived as a threat due to the oppression that day, and an order was given to destroy it, claiming that it was a crime. The star symbols on the windows will be removed from the windows that day, and the part with the star symbol on the temperature will remain as an empty circle. Those who experienced the incident want to say that when giving the windows of the house in the late 70s, the welding expert distributed stars on the window bars and that many houses in the vicinity had a star symbol. In case of fear of violence, they would remove stars directly from any point of opposition.
With this study, we hear from the people who experienced this incident and from the world, how a cultural symbol, even a symbol that was not noticed there, the star symbol, which is now found on many houses and viewpoints in the region, was turned into an element of crime at that time. In addition, after the good times that remain in the memories of the people living in Dirbesiyê, located on the Syrian/Rojava border, we witness the laying of mines on the border, the deterioration of the economy with the separation from the 1980 Coup period, and finally the Turkey-Rojava conflict, allowing the people in the village to migrate.
Director
Berîvan Saruhan was born in 1994 in Mardin (Northern Kurdistan). She graduated from Mardin Artuklu University, Department of Kurdish Language and Literature in 2017. She started her Master’s degree at the same university at the Living Languages Institute, Department of Kurdish Language and Culture, but had to quit due to various reasons. She carried out voluntary and professional work in many non-governmental organizations in Kurdistan and Istanbul. She currently continues her work in the field of combating gender and violence against women at the Women’s Time Association in Istanbul. She has been a sworn translator since 2016 and has been working as a freelance translator, editor and Kurdish language instructor.
Type:
Documentary
Duration:
19 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Hakikat Adalet Hafıza Merkezi
Country:
Kurdistan (Bakur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Kurmanji)
Type:
Documentary
Duration:
16 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Deni Bakr Sorani
Country:
Kurdistan (Bashur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Sorani)
Subtitles:
English
Synopsis
Mam Ali, an elderly man, has been working in the graveyard for more than 13 years. Mam Ali has prepared his entire life for a graveyard that dedicated to women who are killed by their relatives, society, husbands and fathers.
Mam Ali will dig graves for these women, bury them and serve their graves by himself.
Mam Ali is concerned about the oppression of these women in Kurdistan and stands as a protector to their graves
Director
Rekawt Hama Tofiq was born in 1982 in Sulaimani, Kurdistan. He holds a diploma in acting and directing. He is a member of the Kurdistan Artists Association. Director of Sulaimani Cinema Art Directorate / Ministry of Culture. He has directed four short films in the past.
Type:
Documentary
Duration:
16 minutes
Year:
2023
Producer:
Deni Bakr Sorani
Country:
Kurdistan (Bashur)
Language(s):
Kurdish (Sorani)
Subtitles:
English
