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 21st 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