The ashes of Amûde are still warm. In 1960, in a small town in Rojava, hundreds of children were burned alive in the Amûde Cinema massacre, an event that became not only a tragedy, but also one of the darkest opening chapters in Kurdish cinema history. Today, a new light born from those ashes illuminates the skies of Rojava: the 5th Rojava International Film Festival begins in Qamishlo today, 13 November, the anniversary of the Amûde Cinema massacre.
This time, the burned cinema of Amûde lights up the collective memory of a people. Sixty-five years after hundreds of Kurdish children lost their lives in the Amûde Cinema fire, the 5th Rojava International Film Festival will take place once again on the same date, November 13, and on the same land, in Qamishlo, the heart of Rojava. With its theme this year, “Shared Stories and Free Cinema,” the festival aims to be not only an artistic event but also a manifesto of collective memory and resistance.
The festival will open with a memorial ceremony in front of the Amûde Cinema, where cinema, born from the ashes of 283 children, will once again stand for life. The phoenix, chosen as the festival’s symbol, represents rebirth from the ashes, memory, and the enduring spirit of the revolution in tribute to the Amûde Cinema.
The festival’s preparation has taken shape as a reflection of Rojava’s social fabric itself, built through the collective labor of directors, screenwriters, workers, teachers, students, and fighters alike. The Rojava Film Commune is not merely a cinematic collective but a social space that organizes the cultural memory of the revolution. Every stage of preparation, from poster design and technical work to translation and promotion, has been carried out through communal solidarity under the coordination of the Rojava Film Commune.
Featuring a total of 81 films, the seven-day festival will host screenings at the Mihemed Shexo Center for Culture and Arts and the Tev-Çand Mesopotamia Cinema Hall in Qamishlo. The program includes 21 documentaries, 7 feature-length Kurdish films, 8 Syrian productions, 8 international feature films, and 37 short films. This year’s selection prominently highlights themes such as resistance, the pursuit of freedom, migration, and social struggle.
The festival will end with an award ceremony, where the categories and honorees will embody the spirit of revolutionary cinema. Among the five awards to be presented are the Democracy and Human Rights Award named after Sırrı Süreyya Önder, the Mazdek Ararat Labor in Cinema Award, the Menice Haco Courage of Free Women Award, and the Halil Dağ Free Cinema Award, each honoring not only artistic excellence but also a clear political stance.
Women directors and a women-centered cinematic language define the spirit of this year’s festival. The festival committee emphasizes that women have played an active role in every stage of the process, and that the festival’s films carry this perspective. It highlights that the Rojava Revolution itself is a women’s revolution.
The opening film will be Heval Bırako, a production of the Rojava Film Commune. Written by journalist Nazım Daştan and based on a true story, the film was produced by the commune and directed by Numan Yiğit. In addition, the documentary Hemo, also produced by the commune, will have its first screening at the festival. In the Syrian cinema section, films long banned or censored will be shown to the Rojava audience for the first time, among them The Immortal Sergeant, The Translator, and Ajnabi.
Alongside film screenings, the festival will feature panels, discussions, film workshops, and other cultural events throughout the week. With its closing ceremonies and awards, the Rojava International Film Festival aims to become a vital platform that celebrates both cinema and social solidarity.
One of the festival coordinators, Diyar Hesso, described the festival as a convergence of art and transformation: “The festival has evolved into not only a cinematic celebration but also a tool for social change and an act of collective memory,” he said. Hesso, also a filmmaker and member of the Rojava Film Commune, spoke to ANF about the festival’s formation, the revolutionary cinema that blossomed with the Rojava Revolution, and the concept of communal filmmaking born from the ashes of the Amûde Cinema.
This year’s theme is “Shared Stories and Free Cinema.” Why this theme?
This is both an explanation and a call. By saying “shared stories,” we wanted to connect local memory with the collective memory of different peoples. What happens in Rojava is not only local, these are the shared stories of the entire region, even of the world. We are all passing through the same experiences of pain, hope, and resistance. “Free cinema,” on the other hand, represents a stance independent of any authority, both in its content and its mode of creation. Cinema finds its true meaning only in the hands of those who think freely and create freely. That is why our festival is also an invitation, a call to come together around shared stories.
How many films were selected for this year’s program? How was the selection made, and where will the screenings take place?
Out of 120 submissions, 81 films were selected for this year’s program. These include 21 documentaries, 7 feature-length Kurdish films, 8 Syrian productions, 8 international feature films, and 37 short films. Screenings will be held over seven days at the Mihemed Shexo Center for Culture and Arts and the Tev-Çand Mesopotamia Cinema Hall in Qamishlo. This year’s selection prominently features themes such as resistance, the search for freedom, migration, and social struggle.
Could you tell us about some of the standout films in this year’s program?
Our opening film will be Heval Bırako. Its screenplay, written by journalist Comrade Nazım and based on a true story, was produced by the Rojava Film Commune and directed by Numan Yiğit. In addition, the commune’s documentary Hemo will have its premiere at the festival. In the Syrian cinema section, several films long banned or unseen will be screened for the first time on Rojava’s big screen.
How did women directors contribute, and how did a women-centered cinematic language take shape?
At the heart of the Rojava Revolution lies women’s liberation. This year, too, it can be said that women have defined the very spirit of the festival. In the Syrian Cinema section, films by directors such as Özlem Arzeba and Soleen Yusuf are featured. Women have been active not only behind the camera but also at every stage, from the festival committee and set design to film selection. As a result, the language, aesthetics, and essence of the festival have all been shaped by the liberating perspective of women.
How is it possible to organize a festival in Rojava under wartime conditions?
Rojava is currently under heavy siege by both the Turkish state and the Syrian regime. Roads and borders are closed, making it impossible for many directors, actors, and producers to attend physically. Yet we overcome this blockade through solidarity. We receive support from different parts of Kurdistan (Northern, Southern, and Eastern Kurdistan), from the Lebanese Cinema Cooperative, and from German filmmakers and artist collectives. Translation, coordination, and workshops are all products of shared effort. This festival stands as the concrete expression of communal solidarity.
The festival’s opening coincides with the anniversary of the Amûde Cinema massacre, that must carry a symbolic meaning, doesn’t it?
Yes, this year we are opening the festival on November 13, the anniversary of the Amûde Cinema massacre. In 1960, 283 children were burned to death when a fire broke out in the cinema. We do not forget this pain, because Rojava’s cinema was born from those very ashes. The festival’s symbol is the phoenix, because the ashes of that burned cinema have given rise to new life. Every film is a breath of resistance in memory of those children.
Could you tell us about the screenplay section and award categories? How do these sections encourage young filmmakers or new collectives?
This year’s festival divides the films into two main groups: competition entries and special screenings. The Syrian cinema section is not part of the competition; its films will instead be presented in the “Panorama” category. Within the competition, awards will be presented in five categories, including Best Screenplay, Best Feature Film, and Best Short Film.
The screenplay competition is organized separately for short and feature-length films. In addition, Kurdish films, documentaries, and international films will be awarded within their respective categories. Films outside the competition will be showcased as special screenings.
Among the awards are “Best Film” and the “Sırrı Süreyya Önder Democracy and Human Rights Award” in the International Film category; “Best Feature Film” and the “Mazdek Ararat Labor in Cinema Award” in the Kurdish Film category; “Best Short Film” and the “Menice Haco Courage of Free Women Award” in the Short Film category; and “Best Documentary” along with the “Halil Dağ Free Cinema Award” in the Documentary category.
Through the screenplay competition, the festival aims to support young and emerging filmmakers, encourage screenwriting, and inspire creative ownership over the filmmaking process.
What does communal cinema mean in the context of Rojava, in your view?
Cinema is inherently collective by nature. But in Rojava, this collectivism goes beyond a method of production, it has become a form of social solidarity. When a story emerges here, it no longer belongs to an individual; it becomes the story of the people. Some films tell the stories of our friends who were martyred, while others reflect the tragedies experienced by the people. Our task is to transform these stories into collective creations.
As the Rojava Film Commune, we see cinema as a way to reconstruct the memory of a people, a means of rebuilding collective remembrance through art.
What kind of hope do you carry for the future of the festival?
The cinematic movement that began with the Rojava Revolution is still searching for its own language, aesthetics, and form. Perhaps we can call it the “Cinema of Democratic Modernity,” or perhaps “Revolutionary Cinema.” But one thing is certain: this cinema is born from the heart of the people.
From Amûde to today, we have seen cinema as a tool of resistance and a means of social reconstruction. And we know that Rojava cinema is no longer just the voice of Rojava, but the collective voice of the entire Middle East. We are organizing a festival in the midst of war, bringing together the memory of a people, the remembrance of children, the struggle of women for freedom, and the communal power of cinema. The Rojava International Film Festival is not merely an artistic event; it is the reconstruction of life, resistance, and hope itself.