The ninth edition of this year’s New York Kurdish Film Festival (NYKFF), which runs September 20-25 at Village East by Angelika in New York City, celebrates the theme of inclusivity within the Kurdish nation under the motto “Every Kurd, Every Story.”
“We’re presenting over two dozens films from across Kurdistan’s four regions – Northern Kurdistan (southeastern Turkey), Southern Kurdistan (Kurdistan Region of Iraq), Eastern Kurdistan (northwestern Iran), and Western Kurdistan (northern Syria) – as well as from the Kurdish diaspora, amplifying voices too often unheard,” NYKFF Co-Director and President of the New York Kurdish Cultural Center Xeyal Qertel told Kurdistan Chronicle.
The NYKFF belongs to all of us! Our official poster for the 9th edition of NYKFF echoes our theme: inclusivity within Kurdish Nation. We can’t wait to welcome you.
— New York Kurdish Cultural Center (@FilmKurdish) July 22, 2025
Date: September 20-25, 2025
Venue: Village East by Angelika pic.twitter.com/H4LdDsDvVm
“Our theme this year is a reminder that Kurdish identity is not one-dimensional,” Qertel explained. “Every Kurd carries a different history, language, and dream. Cinema allows us to bring these perspectives together in one space.”
“This is more than a film festival,” NYKFF Co-Director Aram Hasan added. “It’s a cultural gathering where stories become bridges, connecting Kurds across borders and audiences across cultures.”
The festival lineup spans feature fiction, documentary, shorts, animation, and student films in Kurdish (Kurmanji and Sorani), English, and other languages.
“From deeply personal narratives to sweeping social commentaries, each film reflects our commitment to representation – including the voices of women, Yezidi survivors, refugees, the Deaf community, and those living in displacement,” Qertel added.
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For the opening night, the festival will show Mediha, a documentary following a Yezidi girl’s search for her family after surviving ISIS captivity.
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The festival lineup includes The Life of a Snowflake (Northern Kurdistan), a love story set against a snowstorm and political upheaval; Name Me Lawand (UK), which follows the journey of a deaf boy from Iraq to the UK in search of language and belonging, followed by a Q&A with New York’s Deaf community; Demsala Nan (The Bread Season) (Eastern Kurdistan/US), a moving portrait of a Kurdish family enduring hardship while holding onto hope; All the Mountains Give (Eastern Kurdistan), in which two friends risk their lives as kolbars crossing Iran’s borders; and Hope (Northern Kurdistan), the closing night’s feature about family, survival, and the bond between a young woman and her sheep.
