On Saturday, the Kurdish Cultural Center of Illinois (KCCI) kicked off its third annual film festival in Chicago. The two-day event celebrated Kurdish culture, heritage, and storytelling through cinema, showcasing a powerful lineup of films produced by Kurdish filmmakers from across Kurdistan and the global diaspora.

Rewan Zagros, a KCCI board member, told Kurdistan Chronicle that the festival’s primary aim is to introduce the depth, richness, and resilience of Kurdish identity to wider audiences.

“The event showcased a curated selection of narrative and documentary films,” Zagros said. “This year’s theme focused on Kurdish history, struggles, traditions, and contemporary experiences, giving viewers an intimate look at the lived realities of Kurdish communities.”

At the opening ceremony, co-organizer Dalal Hassane welcomed attendees with remarks reflecting on the profound importance of cultural preservation. Having been previously featured in Kurdistan Chronicle for her personal journey bridging diaspora, identity, and culture, Hassane brought a deeply resonant perspective to the stage.

“It brings me so much joy to see everyone come together for such an important event,” Hassane said. “Now, more than ever, Kurdish art and culture hold the power to center the stories rooted in our beloved homeland amid a world that seeks to silence them.”

Hassane noted that in a world that seeks to minimize Kurdish people to mere headlines and statistics, art serves as a vehicle for showcasing the feelings and memories carried by and within Kurdish communities.

“Our film selection included works from a wide range of cities across Kurdistan, and we hope to expand our selection in the coming years to represent an even wider variety of experiences and dialects across Kurdistan,” she added. “As someone who has engaged in the study of Kurdish cultural production, I hope that this programming was able to center the importance of art in preserving Kurdish stories that have been forcibly silenced by state violence, imperialism, and occupation.”

A major highlight of the event was the panel session titled “The Contemporary Art and Literature Practices of a Stateless Nation,” which featured expert presentations and an interactive question-and-answer segment.

The event concluded at Loyola University’s Damen Cinema with a comprehensive film showcase, featuring Who Am I, Night and Fog in Kurdistan, In the Shade of the Poplar Tree, and Before the Night, alongside a diverse selection of short films.