ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Russian capital will host the second Kurdish film festival on Wednesday where 54 films and documentaries will be displayed with aim of promoting cinema as an essential tool of art and social change.
The Moscow Kurdish Film Festival (MKFF) is the second of its kind. The two-week-long event seeks to promote cultural exchange between Kurds and Russians.
“The audience will get acquainted with the national culture and language of the ancient people [Kurds], as well as its centuries-old history and traditions, and current struggles,” read the festival’s press release sent to Rudaw earlier this week.
“Through the demonstration of the films dedicated to the Kurdish theme, the festival contributes to the development of International cinema, preservation of national identity and the native language of Kurds, as well as the opportunity to share their historical and cultural heritage with other nations living in Russia,” the statement added.
This year’s event is dedicated to commemorate Kurdish film director Yilmaz Guney who passed in 1984 in Paris. The festival will kick off with his movie The Road, which received the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1982.
The movie tells the story of a group of Kurdish prisoners on a one-week furlough from prison, introducing audiences to the Kurdish language and music at a time when they were banned in Turkey. Many people consider it to be the birth of Kurdish cinema.
Kurdish film festivals are held frequently.
Moscow held its first Kurdish film festival in July last year.
London held the Global Kurdish Film Festival virtually last year as well where it broadcasted more than 100 Kurdish films, classics, and new releases.
