From December 16-19, 2024, the picturesque city of Duhok in the Kurdistan Region hosted the 11th Duhok International Film Festival. This year’s festival showcased a diverse lineup of Kurdish and international films that covered a wide spectrum of topics but especially highlighted the role of sports in global cinema.
Aiming to create an atmosphere for the exchange of different cultures and human values through film, the festival was launched in 2011, and has been held every year, except during the direst conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war against ISIS.
Kurdistan: the land of untold stories
As an integral part of Mesopotamia, Kurdistan is known as the cradle of civilization. It was here that mankind first formed settlements and where life began to brim with stories. Indeed, telling stories is one of the driving forces behind the foundation of the Duhok IFF.
The festival’s organizers are aware of this legacy and are keen to cultivate a cultural identity for this region that celebrates the past and demonstrates that it is a place of peace and development rather than political conflict. “The fertile land that Mesopotamia once presented is now the land that can imbibe quality cinema and epic stories,” according to the festival’s website.
However, the main aim of the festival is to build a launching pad for Kurdish films to reach the world. By creating a platform for films from Kurdistan, it creates space for creativity, allowing filmmakers to explore new terrain. Unique in the region, it seeks to unlock new talents and offer a convening point for up-and-coming filmmakers.
Crossing borders, bridging cultures
Over the course of the last 11 festivals, thousands of festival participants and film enthusiasts have visited the Kurdistan Region, helping to promote Kurdistan as a safe, peaceful, and welcoming place in the middle of a conflict-torn region. The annual event also seeks to connect Kurdish film with the world, with festival organizers working tirelessly to reconnect Kurdish filmmakers in diaspora with their homeland and to build cultural and professional bridges between local and international filmmakers.
In his welcoming note on the festival’s booklet, Ameer Ali Mohammad, President of the Duhok International Film Festival, described cinema as a sort of revolution that can spark change and break down barriers between people across borders.
“Cinema has the power to correct ideas and worldviews while also serving as a means for communicating any message. In today’s terms, it sets the groundwork for a robust economy. We are in the early stages of building that foundation here in Kurdistan, and this event is the infrastructure that is needed, supporting the aim of keeping optimism alive and sparkling,” Mohammed wrote.
Shawkat Amin Korki, a distinguished filmmaker and the festival’s artistic director, noted in his speech that India was the festival’s focus country this year and that organizers have curated a captivating selection of Indian cinema, from the timeless works of Satyajit Ray to the innovative creations of emerging filmmakers.
Festival in detail
This year, more than 750 films were submitted to the festival, from which 107 were selected to compete for 20 awards across different categories. During the one-week event, 105 films in total were screened in Duhok and Zakho.
Massoud Arif, a spokesperson for the festival, expressed his optimism about the increasing number of female filmmakers joining the competition. He told Kurdistan Chronicle that Solin Youssef, the winner of the Youth Oscar for Best Film of the Year in Germany, was one of the prominent Kurdish female filmmakers joining the festival alongside other accomplished female artists such as Berivana Banoush and Lanya Nooralddin.
Asked about the festival’s logo and award shape – a grape leaf – Arif explained that it highlights Duhok’s rich vineyards, which have become not only an agricultural asset, but part of the cultural identity of the city.
Award Winners of the 11th Duhok International Film Festival
The Fibrisca Honorary Award: A Happy Day
Mohammad Dargalayi is a journalist and photographer with 14 years of experience. He is a member of IFJ Global.
