Kurdish Cinema Talks
Kurdish Cinema Talks are a series of monthly talks that brings together Kurdish cinema lovers and Kurdish film professionals. We watch a film, then meet on the last Sunday of each month to talk about it with cast and/or crew members. At the same time, we educate ourselves about the theoretical aspects of Kurdish Cinema.
We meet via Zoom at 8pm Hewler time (AST), 7pm Central European Summer Time (CEST), and 1pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). We discuss in the language that suits the participants.
If you are interested in joining us, please fill out this form. We will email you the details. For more information, please write to Kurdishcinematalks@nykcc.org
June 30, 2024
For our June Kurdish Cinema Talk, we hosted Kurdish director Ali Kemal Çinar to discuss two of his feature fiction films, Gênco (2017) and In Between (2018).
April 28, 2024
For our April Kurdish Cinema Talk, we discussed I Flew You Stayed (2012), a film by Mizgin Müjde Arslan. The director was present for the discussion.
March 31, 2024
We hosted Shilan Saadi to discuss two of her short films, a fiction and a documentary, An Alley Behind Our House (2010) and My Granma’s Daughter (2014). In addition to being a filmmaker, Saadi hosts the Kurdish Frame Podcast, a podcast on Kurdish and world cinema.
February 2024
For our first Kurdish Cinema Talk, we discussed the birth of Kurdish cinema with Ibrahim Selman, director of 3 Faces of a Mountain Man Who Desires to be a Seal (1991) and A Silent Traveler (1993). Selman is among the first Kurdish artists who saw potential in the art of motion pictures to narrate the stories of the Kurdish people. Watch a video of the discussion here.
Moderators for the discussions:
Azad Azizyan is a Kurdish documentary filmmaker and an educator based in Santa Cruz, California, who is passionate about using film as a tool for social change. He co-presented a workshop at NYKFF7.
Sevinaz Evdike is a Kurdish filmmaker, co-director of the Rojava Film Commune and co-founder of the Rojava Film Festival. Currently she works as coordinator of Kêzî, a filmmaking collective in Rojava. Her debut feature, Berbû, was screened at NYKFF7.
Aram Hassan is a native of Slêmanî, South Kurdistan. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in cinema. He directed the film Yarsan and the Lost Song, which was screened at NYKFF6.
Bilal Korkut, a native of Mardin, North Kurdistan, studied filmmaking in Istanbul and in Mardin. He currently lives in England. Bîraxane, his feature debut, was screened at NYKFF7.
“I Flew You Stayed” by Mizgin Müjde Arslan
