Kurdish filmmakers from all four parts of Kurdistan are taking part in the first edition of the Artikas International Human Rights Short Film Festival in Paris, France, with eight Kurdish films among the 28 works selected for the festival’s final competition.
Held under the slogan “A Light Upon Humanity,” the four-day festival features short films from filmmakers around the world focusing on human rights, human dignity, and human experiences.
Rasoul Ahmadi, head of the festival, said 258 films were submitted for the first edition, from which 28 were selected for the final competition.
“The festival presents short films and cinematic works related to human rights, dignity, and human experience, while creating a space for discussion and the exchange of ideas on these subjects,” Ahmadi said.
He said the Artikas Cultural and Media Council was established in France and works in cinema, journalism, culture, and intercultural dialogue. The council also organises the Artikas International Human Rights Short Film Festival.
Ahmadi highlighted the participation of Kurdish filmmakers as one of the main features of the festival’s first edition.
“Eight films by filmmakers from all four parts of Kurdistan are participating in the festival. These films, from filmmakers from eastern, southern, northern, and western Kurdistan, are being brought together at an international festival in the French capital and present part of the work and voice of Kurdish cinema from different regions to international audiences,” he said.
He added that bringing filmmakers from the four parts of Kurdistan together in a single international festival provides an opportunity to introduce Kurdish cinema and exchange different cinematic experiences.
The first edition of the festival is also paying tribute to Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi in recognition of his career and contribution to bringing Kurdish cinema to international audiences.
Two of Ghobadi’s films are being screened as part of the tribute. His first feature film, A Time for Drunken Horses, was presented at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, where it won the Caméra d’Or. His film No One Knows About Persian Cats was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2009 and received the section’s Special Jury Prize.
The 28 films selected for the final competition are being evaluated by an international jury consisting of filmmakers, producers, academics, and figures active in cinema and culture.
The jury is headed by Eylaida Chetinkaya, producer of the film Skin, which won the Gold Award at the Student Academy Awards in 2023. Other jury members include filmmaker and cinematographer Valentina Canilia, who is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Hui-Ching Tsiang; Jim Koenigsecker; François Bichiot; and Hadil Lawi.
The first Artikas International Human Rights Short Film Festival is being held in Paris under the slogan “A Light Upon Humanity” and will continue for four days.
