The Fourth Moscow Kurdish Film Festival took place from September 18-22, 2024, in the Russian capital’s Cinema Park Mosfilm. 

Last year, the festival was included by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in the list of international film festivals held in Russia in 2023.

This year, the peacock feather became the symbol of the festival. The peacock feather is a powerful symbol for the Kurdish people, especially in the context of Yezidism. The festival also had a special focus on films about the Yezidis.

The prize of the Moscow Kurdish Film Festival is the “Golden Sun,” a crystal stele engraved with a solar disk featuring 21 rays. The sun, an ancient religious and cultural symbol of the Kurds, also appears on the Kurdish flag.

This year, the background of the festival participants was very diverse. The competition and non-competition programs featured films from 12 countries, including Iraq, Turkiye, Iran, France, Syria, Canada, and the Netherlands. 

The festival was opened with the film Sinjar by director Anna M. Bofarul, who personally presented her film. She noted that she was very touched by the fact that she was presenting her film in Moscow for the first time.

The film is dedicated to the events of 2014, when ISIS invaded Sinjar, committed a genocide against the Yezidi community, and enslaved Yezidi women.

The opening ceremony was hosted by actor Stas Belyaev, who noted that this year the festival focuses on intercultural dialogue. Continuing the tradition of cultural exchange of previous years, the festival will once again bring together filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world to show true masterpieces of Kurdish cinema.

From the stage, Moscow Kurdish Film Festival Director Inna Tedzhoeva greeted the guests, participants, and spectators.

“Our festival has become a unique platform for demonstrating the rich and original Kurdish cinema, which is gaining more and more attention in the world every year. We are proud that the festival has been uniting people for four years in a row, giving audiences the opportunity to hear stories that touch the soul, inspire, and make you think. Kurdish cinema is not just stories, it is a reflection of real lives, struggles, hopes, and aspirations. And it is a great honor for us to present these works to you,” said Tedzhoeva.