Festival Ends!

Festival was a great success – superb films, appreciative audiences, fascinating guest directors. Thanks so much to everyone who came and everyone who helped. There is lots of positive feedback and requests to do it again!

Thanks to the Peace III Programme who funded the whole event and we will be getting back to them about future plans.

(If someone would like to translate this to Sorani and/or Kurmanji – they could email it on to kffcarrick@gmail.com – I will post it up)

Kate McCarthy

Leitrim County Council

Festival Begins!

The festival is about to begin, so this website will no longer be responding to enquiries. 

For tickets and information please contact The Dock Box Office on 071 9650829 before 6 this evening (Friday 1st) or call in person to The Dock from 10.30am – 6pm tomorrow (Sat 2nd) or Sunday 1pm – 4pm. There are tickets available to all events at present.

Closing event:

The Kurdish community in Carrick on Shannon will be holding a festival closing event with Kurdish music, dancing  and food at 6pm – 8pm  on Sunday Oct 3rd in the Market Yard, Carrick on Shannon. Everyone is welcome.

Kurdish Film Festival Full Programme

Download here

KFF A5 programme final

Booking has opened!

Tickets for the Kurdish Film Festival Carrick on Shannon can now be booked by contacting 071 9650828.

All events are free but seating is limited and it is important to book early. In order to reserve tickets you must become a festival member by giving your name, address and a contact number at the time of booking. To faciliatate the process we would ask that people book just for themselves and not make group bookings as these will become difficult to follow up.

You can leave a comment on this site if you have any booking queries. Thank you.

Festival Fliers Available

Printed fliers with the Kurdish Film Festival timetable in English, Sorani and Kurmanji are now available. If you would like some for yourself or to distribute please leave a comment or email kffcarrick@gmail.com

Tickets available shortly

Tickets for all events are free but there is a limit of 4 tickets per person. To request further information or register for tickets please email us a kffcarrick@gmail.com or phone 071 9621694.

This project has been funded by the Peace III Programme through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body

From the Festival curator, Mustafa Gundogdu

Kurmanji

I am very pleased be given an opportunity by Leitrim County Council to curate the programme for the first ever Kurdish Film festival in the Republic of Ireland. Apart from my love for the cinema and my  desire to promote and show Kurdish films wherever possible,  this three day festival carries a greater significance – to honour the Kurds living in Carrick on Shannon. I hope non-Kurds will enjoy these fantastic films which will warm their hearts, and will let them know more about their neighbours, colleagues and school mates of Kurdish origin

The Kurds are the biggest nation in the world without a nation state, we live under occupation by Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria and vast majority of the Kurdish people are deprived of their basic rights. Considering that 20 million Kurds in Turkey have not got a Kurdish film festival of their own, and that Kurdish filmmakers face bans on their films by the authorities even in the 21^st century and considering that, speaking Kurdish, let alone filmmaking, is a major crime in Syria for the Kurdish population or that Kurdish filmmakers in Iran need to develop extra talents to deal with official censorship or they might end up facing a life in exile, then this festival in a small town like Carrick on Shannon has a lot of significance for the Kurds and Kurdish filmmakers.   more       

Directors Attending 2010 Kurdish Film Festival in Carrick on Shannon

We are delighted to confirm the attendance of the following directors at this year’s festival. They will be attending screenings of their work and taking part in a panel discussion. See events for further details.

 Doug Aubrey (Kurdi)

Binevsa Berivan (Phone Story – Short)

Miraz Bezar (Children of Diyarbakir)

Peri Ibrahim (Kurdi)

Chiman Rahimi (Rojin – Short)

Ireland’s First Kurdish Film Festival

Carrick on Shannon is home to a small Kurdish community who were resettled in the area as part of the Irish Government Refugee Resettlement Scheme. With the division of Kurdish-inhabited areas, Kurdistan, first in 16^th  and again in the 20^th century,  between Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and former Soviet Union this war torn, displaced community have created a strong artistic and cultural voice, particularly through the medium of film.  Directors working in extremely difficult conditions in the Middle East and members of the 4 million strong Kurdish diaspora throughout Europe, America, Australia and Canada have generated a vibrant film culture reflective of their experiences.  Mustafa Gundogdu, is on of the founders and the current co-ordinator of London Kurdish Film Festival and New York Kurdish Film festival has been invited to curate this 1^st Kurdish Film Festival  in Carrick on Shannon by Leitrim County Council Arts Office. His selection of contemporary and award winning Kurdish feature films, shorts and documentaries is augmented by the presence of some of the Kurdish directors, who will attend the screenings and also take part in a discussion panel  “Film Under Fire”. Another special event of local interest is the screening of short Kurdish films selected by Transition Year Students from Carrick Community School. All the screenings will be free of charge and will take place in The Dock and Cinema North West which will be located in front of The Dock for the festival.  This project has been funded by the PEACE III Programme through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.

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This project has been funded by the Peace III Programme through the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.