The 5th International Rojava Film Festival continues on its third day. The festival, which opened on November 13 at the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Arts Center, has the motto “A shared history, free cinema.” It is jointly organized by the Rojava Film Commune and the cultural movement TEV-ÇAND. The Rojava Festival sees itself not only as a cultural platform, but also as a contribution to the development of a distinct, emancipatory film culture in the region. It showcases productions from Kurdistan, the Middle East, and other parts of the world.
Filmmaker Ömer Leventoğlu gave a seminar titled “A Piece of Kurdish Cinema: Bakur Cinema.” The event took place in the hall of the Mihemed Şêxo Culture and Arts Center. Leventoğlu drew attention to the state of cinema, film production, documentary and feature film production in Bakurê (Northern) Kurdistan, South-East Turkey.
Leventoğlu stated: “Yılmaz Güney is a founder of Kurdish cinema. He shot his films in Turkish, but if he were alive today, he would have had a project based on the Kurdish struggle. Yılmaz Güney created a method for Kurdish cinema. He presented a perspective, an idea; he shaped what beauty is in cinema, what philosophy is, and which actors and cameras are needed to tell the stories.”
Noting that the Turkish state’s negative influence on Bakur cinema is immense, Ömer Leventoğlu continued: “Some Kurdish filmmakers are under the influence of hostile policies; they produce films according to the system’s logic but tell Kurdish stories. All the staff may be Kurdish, but because they are under the influence of the enemy, they do not contribute to Kurdish cinema. Their perspective and way of thinking are a reflection of the Turkish occupation. There are many such examples. There are not many filmmakers in Bakur with a revolutionary perspective. However, there is a very strong potential, and work is needed to bring this potential to light.”
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.