The Kurdish Film Festival in Amsterdam brings together enthusiasts worldwide for moving films that highlight Kurdish culture. From dramas to documentaries, the festival celebrates the deep emotions and complexity of Kurdish identity.
The Kurdish film festival will be held for the third time in the Dutch capital Amsterdam from May 10 to 12, 2024. This annual event is starting to appeal to more and more people in the Netherlands. If you still want to attend, you must buy your tickets quickly, as the first day is already sold out.
Location.
This very busy film festival, which used De Ru Pare Community in its founding year, is now using the top location “Het Ketelhuis” for the second time.ThisArthouse Cinema is located in a former factory, it has 3 halls and an industrial café. It is wonderful to stay here. first enjoy an exciting or romantic film and then have a nice drink in the industrial café. The rooms are not too massive, and all three have wonderfully comfortable chairs.
Enjoy the movie.
Enjoy many different films for three days. As you know, the Kurds originally come from Kurdistan, which is located in a fairly independent region of Turkey and borders Iran to the east, and Turkey and Syria to the north. The capital is called Erbil, which is also where the Kurdish parliament and government are located, led by President Massoud Barzani. The area covers approximately 191,660 square kilometers. The country also contains part of the gigantic Taurus Mountains.
Many different countries are represented.
Due to various circumstances, many Kurds have had to flee their beloved country, usually for political reasons, which is why the Kurds who have fled now live spread throughout Europe. They live in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland. In these countries, the various Kurdish families living there generally still have an intimate one contact.
Different languages and cultures,
Because the different Kurds have spread throughout Europe, the different films that will be shown at the film festival naturally also come from all those different countries. Of course, Kurdish culture will predominate in most films, but you will probably also enjoy the slowly emerging cultural influences of the various European countries, although much effort will have been taken to disguise these.
Some films being shown?
Here are some short film posters with a brief overview of the contents of the various films, and a link to enjoy the photos.
ANGELS OF SINJAR
https://akff.nl/film/angels-of-sinjar/
Sinjar, Southern Kurdistan, 2014: Hanifa, a young Yezidi woman, miraculously survives the ISIS attack on the Yezidi religious and ethnic minority in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq. Hanifa escapes…
GONE
https://akff.nl/film/berbu/
Gule is preparing her life-long dream wedding in Serekaniye, a city in West-Kurdistan. But the city is bombed by the Turkish army, and the invasion starts. Gule has to flee…
I HAD SEEDED POMEGRANATE FOR YOU https://akff.nl/film/i-had-seeded-pomegranate-for-you/
In Rojhelat, the Sirwan River splits a village, connected by a risky footbridge over a gorge. Shaho, a beloved teacher in both parts, once saved a student, Aram, from drowning…
It will certainly be enjoyable.
The organizers of this festival have tried to zoom in on the Rojava region during this festival. This area is better known to most of us as: "West or Syrian Kurdistan". The Kurds live here together with many other ethnic groups as a happy Western society. This "integration" has mainly arisen because a close-knit society has grown. after ISIS was defeated.
Looking back on the beautiful history in a new culture.
As described above, much has changed and improved in modern Kurdistan, for example, men and women have equal rights, and polygamy is expressly prohibited. All ethnic groups have equal rights and the death penalty has now also been abolished. In short, contemporary Kurdistan is in many respects no longer inferior to many modern “Western countries”.
History remains.
As described above, much has changed and improved in modern Kurdistan, for example, men and women have equal rights, and polygamy is expressly prohibited. All ethnic groups have equal rights and the death penalty has now also been abolished. In short, contemporary Kurdistan is in many respects no longer inferior to many modern “Western countries”.
Of course, this festival will also look back on the terrible and cruel regime that the Islamic state imposed on the area. Naturally, one wants to commemorate and honor the many unjustly killed. Of course, the various documentaries should not be missed at the festival, several of them will be shown for you. We wish you a lot of film fun and, above all, a lot of fun at this fantastic Kurdish film festival.
