The Land Of Buried Women by Rekawt Hama Tofiq won the Short Documentary Award at the fourth edition of the Life Beyond Life Film Festival in Turin, Italy on May 15.

The Consulate of Italy in Erbil congratulated the filmmaker in a post on X.

Italian Consulate congratulates with Kurdish film maker #RekawtHamaTofiqMohammed for winning the best documentary award at #TorinoFestival Life Beyond Life with his “The Land of Buried Women”. Proud of you!https://t.co/10PCI1Lryv pic.twitter.com/ryMgllr28E

— Italy in KRI (@ItalyinKRI) May 21, 2024

The International Jury of Short Documentaries, led by the musician and artistic director of the Itria Valley Festival Sebastian Schwarz, awarded Tofiq “for his poetic sensitivity and delicate, yet powerful exploration of complex themes,” reports the news website Cronaca Torino.

“With simple acts, but rich in symbolism, the director delves into posthumous care and dignity, giving voice to anonymous women, silent victims of archaic morality and oppressive laws.”

“Through clever sound editing choices and a narrative that avoids difficult complexity while remaining profound, the film captures not only the attention but also the empathy of the viewer,” Schwarz said.

“The Land Of Buried Women not only lays the foundations for a potentially different future, but invites us to reflect on a cultural context that is too often ignored or judged superficially.”

The short documentary focuses on Mam Ali, an elderly ma, who has been working as a gravedigger and gardener for more than 13 years in a graveyard for women who are killed in honor killings. His concerns about the oppression of Kurdish women are expressed in the way he cares for their graves.

Tofiq was born in 1982 in Sulaymaniyah. He holds a degree in acting and directing. He is a member of the Kurdistan Artists Association and director of the Sulaymaniyah Cinema Art Directorate at the Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Culture and Youth. He has previously directed four short films and a documentary.