Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema

New York Kurdish Film Festival

10th Edition

September 29 – October 4, 2026

Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema

New York Kurdish Film Festival

10th Edition

September 29 – October 4, 2026

Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema

New York Kurdish Film Festival

10th Edition

September 29 – October 4, 2026

NYKFF10 · September 29–October 4

NYKFF10 IS NOW UNDERWAY

Join us for the 10th New York Kurdish Film Festival and experience six days of Kurdish cinema, filmmakers, stories, and community in New York City.

Village East by Angelika

181–189 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

NYKFF10 Schedule

Explore each day’s lineup using the tabs below.

Opening Night — Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Village East by Angelika · Theater 1

@ 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM

Reception

45 min

6:30 pm –

7:15 pm

Opening Ceremony

Kurdish National Anthem

5 min

Listen to our National Anthem online, then stand with us in person as we sing it together.

7:15 pm –

7:20 pm

Opening Ceremony

Welcome by Xeyal Qertel

10 min

NYKFF Co-Director, NYKCC President

7:20 pm –

7:30 pm

Opening Ceremony

Message from Treefa Aziz

10 min

Representative of KRG-U.S.

7:30 pm –

7:40 pm

Opening Ceremony

Live Music: Cihan Çelik

20 min

7:40 pm –

8:00 pm

Music

Live DJ: Dursun Orhan

20 min

8:00 pm –

8:20 pm

Music

Singing Wings

73 min

Genre: Feature documentary

A woman cares for an injured stork while her daughter prepares to migrate to Britain.

Director: Hemen Khaledi

Region: Rojhilati Kurdistan

8:20 pm –

9:35 pm

Screening

Social Mingling & Wrap-Up

15 min

9:35 pm –

10:00 pm

Day 1 Wrap-Up

Reception

45 min

6:30 pm –

7:15 pm

Kurdish National Anthem

5 min

Listen to our National Anthem online, then stand with us in person as we sing it together.

7:15 pm –

7:20 pm

Welcome by Xeyal Qertel

10 min

7:20 pm –

7:30 pm

Message from Treefa Aziz

10 min

7:30 pm –

7:40 pm

Live Music: Cihan Çelik

20 min

7:40 pm –

8:00 pm

Live DJ: Dursun Orhan

20 min

8:00 pm –

8:20 pm

Singing Wings

Feature documentary •

73 min

A woman cares for an injured stork while her daughter prepares to migrate to Britain.

8:20 pm –

9:35 pm

Social Mingling & Wrap-Up

15 min

9:35 pm –

10:00 pm

Day 2 — Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Village East by Angelika · Theater 2

@ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

The Belief

40 min

Genre: Student

Metin is to teach in Şırnak, but his students grew up speaking Kurdish, not Turkish.

Director: Erdal Salihoğlu

Region: Bakuri Kurdistan

6:00 pm –

6:40 pm

Screening

Limo Knew Everything

21 min

Genre: Short Fiction

A woman is about to give birth to her ninth child.

Director: Edris Mahmoudian

Region: Rojhilati Kurdistan

6:40 pm –

7:00 pm

Screening

Break

20 min

7:00 pm –

7:20 pm

Tea break

None of the Above

12 min

Genre: Student

A community college student and skateboarder fights for accurate and inclusive Middle Eastern studies.

Director: Mehra Marzbani

Region: USA

7:20 pm –

7:35 pm

Screening

Live Q&A with filmmaker Mehra Marzbani

20 min

Hosts: Azad Azizyan

7:35 pm –

9:55 pm

Live Session

Panel: Where is Kurdistan?

35 min

Panelists: Mehra Marzbani and Azad Azizyan

7:55 pm –

8:30 pm

Panel Discussion

The Cold

15 min

Genre: Short fiction

Migration is always a forced journey.

Director: Adar Baran Değer

Region: Bakuri Kurdistan

8:30 pm –

8:45 pm

Screening

No Signal

13 min

Genre: Mobile

A solitary man meets a group of children who change his life.

Director: Hevar Omar

Region: Bashuri Kurdistan

8:45 pm –

9:00 pm

Screening

The Belief

Student •

40 min

Metin is to teach in Şırnak, but his students grew up speaking Kurdish, not Turkish.

6:00 pm –

6:40 pm

Limo Knew Everything

Short Fiction •

21 min

A woman is about to give birth to her ninth child.

6:40 pm –

7:00 pm

Break

20 min

7:00 pm –

7:20 pm

None of the Above

Student •

12 min

A community college student and skateboarder fights for accurate and inclusive Middle Eastern studies.

7:20 pm –

7:35 pm

Live Q&A with filmmaker Mehra Marzbani

20 min

7:35 pm –

9:55 pm

Panel: Where is Kurdistan?

35 min

7:55 pm –

8:30 pm

The Cold

Short fiction •

15 min

Migration is always a forced journey.

8:30 pm –

8:45 pm

No Signal

Mobile •

13 min

A solitary man meets a group of children who change his life.

8:45 pm –

9:00 pm

Day 3 — Thursday, October 1, 2026

Village East by Angelika · Theater 2

@ 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

The Lions by the River Tigris

91 min

Genre: Feature documentary

After Mosul is liberated from Islamic State, its resilient people rebuild the city and reclaim their identity through cultural expression.

Director: Zaradasht Ahmed

Region: Bashuri Kurdistan

6:00 pm –

7:30 pm

Screening

Conversation: Who Owns the Past?

30 min

Participants: Ambassador Lukman Al-Faily and Xeyal Qertel

7:30 pm –

8:00 pm

Panel Discussion

File No. 1

18 min 52 sec

Genre: Short fiction

The daughter of a Halabja survivor has a strong passion for researching chemical substances.

Director: Sonya Jalil Zangana

Region: Bashuri Kurdistan

8:00 pm –

8:15 pm

Screening

Break

20 min

8:00 pm –

8:20 pm

Tea break

Home Made

15 min

Genre: Short fiction

In Mardin, Syriac scholboy Gabriel and his friends prepare for the school’s Local Goods Week.

Director: Rojda Ezgi Oral

Region: Bakuri Kurdistan

8:45 pm –

9:00 pm

Screening

The Lions by the River Tigris

Feature documentary •

91 min

After Mosul is liberated from Islamic State, its resilient people rebuild the city and reclaim their identity through cultural expression.

6:00 pm –

7:30 pm

Conversation: Who Owns the Past?

30 min

7:30 pm –

8:00 pm

File No. 1

Short fiction •

18 min 52 sec

The daughter of a Halabja survivor has a strong passion for researching chemical substances.

8:00 pm –

8:15 pm

Break

20 min

8:00 pm –

8:20 pm

Home Made

Short fiction •

15 min

In Mardin, Syriac scholboy Gabriel and his friends prepare for the school’s Local Goods Week.

8:45 pm –

9:00 pm

Day 4 — Friday, October 2, 2026

Village East by Angelika · Theater 2

@ 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Tallahassee

22 min

Genre: Short fiction

A glimpse into struggles around mental illness, often silenced in Arab culture.

Director: Darine Hotait

Region: USA

3:00 pm –

3:22 pm

Screening

Live Q&A with filmmaker Darine Hotait

30 min

Hosts: Shilan Saadi

3:25 pm –

3:55 pm

Live Session

Break

15 min

3:55 pm –

4:10 pm

Tea break

Who Am I?

66 min

Genre: Feature documentary

A documentary about Cigerxwîn, 1930s founder of Kurdish literature

Director: Esin Akgül

Region: Netherlands, Bakuri Kurdistan

4:10 pm –

5:15 pm

Screening

Break

15 min

5:15 pm –

5:30 pm

Tea break

In the Shade of the Poplar Tree

64 min

Genre: Feature documentary

dreams A man dreams of opening a boutique hotel on Lake Van where his mother can find peace.

Director: Kenan Diler

Region: Bakuri Kurdistan

5:45 pm –

6:45 pm

Screening

Break

15 min

6:35 pm –

6:50 pm

Tea break

Night and Fog in Kurdistan

85 min

Genre: Feature documentary

The five-year journey of seven teenage Yazidi girls who survived the 2014 ISIS genocide.

Director: Shilan Saadi

Region: Rojhilati Kurdistan

6:50 pm –

8:15 pm

Screening

Live Q&A with filmmaker Shilan Saadi

30 min

Hosts: Azad Azizyan

8:15 pm –

8:45 pm

Live Session

Break

15 min

8:45 pm –

9:00 pm

Tea break

Victim

17 min 39 sec

Genre: Student

The high price of female illiteracy and early marriage

Director: Noor Omer Ahmed

Region: Bashuri Kurdistan

9:00 pm –

9:10 pm

Screening

The Dead End

9 min

Genre: Short fiction

A woman flees her abusive husband, seeking refuge in the long-abandoned house where she grew up.

Director: Shko J. Aziz

Region: United Kingdom

9:10 pm –

9:20 pm

Screening

Zarand

13 min

Genre: Short fiction

The circumcision of women in Kurdistan

Director: Trifa Ibrahim Hassan

Region: Bashuri Kurdistan

9:20 pm –

9:35 pm

Screening

Afrat

7 min

Genre: Short fiction

A woman’s story of survival and resilience

Director: Slavash Vaziri

Region: Rojhilati Kurdistan

9:35 pm –

9:45 pm

Screening

A Different Perspective

9 min

Genre: Short fiction

Isolation can lead to mental distress, but writing and creativity offer a way out.

Director: Sharo Shorsh Mohammed

Region: Bashuri Kurdistan

9:45 pm –

9:55 pm

Screening

Tallahassee

Short fiction •

22 min

A glimpse into struggles around mental illness, often silenced in Arab culture.

3:00 pm –

3:22 pm

Live Q&A with filmmaker Darine Hotait

30 min

3:25 pm –

3:55 pm

Break

15 min

3:55 pm –

4:10 pm

Who Am I?

Feature documentary •

66 min

A documentary about Cigerxwîn, 1930s founder of Kurdish literature

4:10 pm –

5:15 pm

Break

15 min

5:15 pm –

5:30 pm

In the Shade of the Poplar Tree

Feature documentary •

64 min

dreams A man dreams of opening a boutique hotel on Lake Van where his mother can find peace.

5:45 pm –

6:45 pm

Break

15 min

6:35 pm –

6:50 pm

Night and Fog in Kurdistan

Feature documentary •

85 min

The five-year journey of seven teenage Yazidi girls who survived the 2014 ISIS genocide.

6:50 pm –

8:15 pm

Live Q&A with filmmaker Shilan Saadi

30 min

8:15 pm –

8:45 pm

Break

15 min

8:45 pm –

9:00 pm

Victim

Student •

17 min 39 sec

The high price of female illiteracy and early marriage

9:00 pm –

9:10 pm

The Dead End

Short fiction •

9 min

A woman flees her abusive husband, seeking refuge in the long-abandoned house where she grew up.

9:10 pm –

9:20 pm

Zarand

Short fiction •

13 min

The circumcision of women in Kurdistan

9:20 pm –

9:35 pm

Afrat

Short fiction •

7 min

A woman’s story of survival and resilience

9:35 pm –

9:45 pm

A Different Perspective

Short fiction •

9 min

Isolation can lead to mental distress, but writing and creativity offer a way out.

9:45 pm –

9:55 pm

Day 5 — Saturday, October 3, 2026

Village East by Angelika · Theater 2

@ 3:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The Gas Station Attendant

83 min

Genre: Feature documentary

A meditation on a complicated father-daughter relationship and a tribute to the immigrant working class.

Director: Karla Murthy

Region: USA

3:00 pm –

4:25 pm

Screening

Live Q&A with filmmaker Karla Murthy

30 min

Hosts: Apo Bazidi

4:30 pm –

5:00 pm

Live Session

Break

20 min

5:00 pm –

5:20 pm

Tea break

Panel: Film Funding, the Industry, and Networking

60 min

Hosts: Beyan Saleh and Ron Butler

5:20 pm –

6:20 pm

Panel Discussion

Break

20 min

6:20 pm –

6:40 pm

Tea break

Before the Night

60 min

Genre: Feature fiction

Life in a state of emergency

Director: Ali Kemal Çinar

Region: Bakuri Kurdistan

6:40 pm –

7:45 pm

Screening

Break

20 min

7:45 pm –

8:05 pm

Tea break

Panel: The Kurdish Cinema Survey and the Residency Program

60 min

Hosts: To be announced

8:05 pm –

8:45 pm

Panel Discussion

Decision

9 min

Genre: Student

A cinema student must decide whether to give up her studies and return to her hometown, Afrin.

Director: Mediya Mohammad

Region: Rojava

8:45 pm –

8:55 pm

Screening

Youthful Wrinkles

10 min

Genre: Short documentary

Every white hair tells a story.

Director: Zevîn Ebas

Region: Rojava

8:55 pm –

9:05 pm

Screening

Fountain

13 min

Genre: Animation

A middle-aged man who is a projectionist of a small-town cinema meets his teenage love after many years.

Director: Hazhir As’adi

Region: Rojhilati Kurdistan

9:05 pm –

9:20 pm

Screening

Interview with the Devil

20 min

Genre: Student

In Iceland, a brilliant but disturbed serial killer creates grotesque works of “art.”

Director: Hama Sardar Sami

Region: Iceland

9:20 pm –

9:40 pm

Screening

Warden

15 min

Genre: Short fiction

A woman’s story of survival and resilience

Director: Sabah Mohammadi

Region: Rojhilati Kurdistan

9:40 pm –

9:55 pm

Screening

The Gas Station Attendant

Feature documentary •

83 min

A meditation on a complicated father-daughter relationship and a tribute to the immigrant working class.

3:00 pm –

4:25 pm

Live Q&A with filmmaker Karla Murthy

30 min

4:30 pm –

5:00 pm

Break

20 min

5:00 pm –

5:20 pm

Panel: Film Funding, the Industry, and Networking

60 min

5:20 pm –

6:20 pm

Break

20 min

6:20 pm –

6:40 pm

Before the Night

Feature fiction •

60 min

Life in a state of emergency

6:40 pm –

7:45 pm

Break

20 min

7:45 pm –

8:05 pm

Panel: The Kurdish Cinema Survey and the Residency Program

60 min

8:05 pm –

8:45 pm

Decision

Student •

9 min

A cinema student must decide whether to give up her studies and return to her hometown, Afrin.

8:45 pm –

8:55 pm

Youthful Wrinkles

Short documentary •

10 min

Every white hair tells a story.

8:55 pm –

9:05 pm

Fountain

Animation •

13 min

A middle-aged man who is a projectionist of a small-town cinema meets his teenage love after many years.

9:05 pm –

9:20 pm

Interview with the Devil

Student •

20 min

In Iceland, a brilliant but disturbed serial killer creates grotesque works of “art.”

9:20 pm –

9:40 pm

Warden

Short fiction •

15 min

A woman’s story of survival and resilience

9:40 pm –

9:55 pm

Closing Night — Sunday, October 4, 2026

Village East by Angelika · Theater 2

@ 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Yol

124 min

Genre: Feature fiction

A landmark film in Kurdish cinema

Directors: Yılmaz Güney and Şerif Gören

Region: Bakuri Kurdistan

3:00 pm –

5:00 pm

Screening

Break

20 min

5:00 pm –

5:20 pm

Tea break

All Those Things He Was Never Sure About

12 min

Genre: Experimental

Following an accident in a garden, a woman discovers a scar on her husband’s back, which leads to questions.

Director: Mir Mengi

Region: Bakuri (North) Kurdistan

5:20 pm –

5:35 pm

Screening

Live Q&A with filmmaker Mir Mengi

30 min

Hosts: Pinar Ogrenci

5:35 pm –

6:05 pm

Live Session

Break

20 min

6:05 pm –

6:25 pm

Tea break

My Uncle Jens

98 min

Genre: Feature fiction

A Kurdish man living comfortably in Europe receives a visit from his Rojhilati uncle.

Director: Brwa Vahabpour

Region: Norway

6:25 pm –

8:05 pm

Screening

Live Q&A with filmmaker Brwa Vahabpour

30 min

Hosts: Halime Aktürk (tentative)

8:05 pm –

8:35 pm

Live Session

Live Music: Cihan Çelik

25 min

8:35 pm –

9:00 pm

Festival Wrap Party

Yol

Feature fiction •

124 min

A landmark film in Kurdish cinema

3:00 pm –

5:00 pm

Break

20 min

5:00 pm –

5:20 pm

All Those Things He Was Never Sure About

Experimental •

12 min

Following an accident in a garden, a woman discovers a scar on her husband’s back, which leads to questions.

5:20 pm –

5:35 pm

Live Q&A with filmmaker Mir Mengi

30 min

5:35 pm –

6:05 pm

Break

20 min

6:05 pm –

6:25 pm

My Uncle Jens

Feature fiction •

98 min

A Kurdish man living comfortably in Europe receives a visit from his Rojhilati uncle.

6:25 pm –

8:05 pm

Live Q&A with filmmaker Brwa Vahabpour

30 min

8:05 pm –

8:35 pm

Live Music: Cihan Çelik

25 min

8:35 pm –

9:00 pm

Kurdish Cinema

Residency Program

September 25-30

The NYKCC announces the first residency program on Kurdish cinema in New York City, to take place on September 25-30, 2026. Consisting of lectures and workshops by experts in thinking, making, and distributing Kurdish films, the Kurdish Cinema Residency Program is open to participants who work in Kurdish films or who think about and through Kurdish films.

The opening lecture "The Art of Story Seeking" will be given by İlisa Barbash on September 25, followed by sessions on Kurdish storytelling, memory, documentation, economics, and the politics of the Kurdish film industry running till September 30.

In order to join the sessions either in person or virtually, please submit your resume and motivation letter to info@nykcc.org by September 5.