A new film by Kurdish director Halkawt Mustafa is set to bring the story of a female Peshmerga fighter to global audiences, produced through a collaboration involving Norway, Sweden, France, the United States, the UAE, and the Kurdistan Region.
The film, No Paradise if You Are Killed by a Woman, features a joint Kurdish Norwegian cast, with Kurdish actress Avan Jamal and Norwegian actor Thorbjørn Harr in the lead roles.
Mustafa said the film presents “a poetic image of a female Peshmerga who refuses to bow before darkness.” He likened the filmmaking process to “performing brain surgery in a dark room,” expressing his satisfaction that the project will be released next year.
The director previously gained wide attention with Hiding Saddam Hussein, which received substantial public reaction and strong viewership. Mustafa, originally from the Kurdistan Region and now based in Norway, earned international recognition in 2016 with his feature film El Clásico, distributed in more than 56 countries and honored with multiple international awards.
