Vancouver Kurdish Film Festival Spotlights Women Filmmakers and the ‘Mother Tongue’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In a vibrant and powerful celebration of a culture and a cinema that often remains unseen on the world stage, the Vancouver Kurdish Film Festival (VKFF) is set to hold its latest edition, a three-day event dedicated to the resonant and deeply personal theme of "Mother Tongue."

From October 17th to 19th, the festival will showcase a curated selection of 22 films from women filmmakers across all four parts of Kurdistan and the global diaspora, each exploring the profound and intricate bonds between language, identity, and the concept of home.

This focus on women's narratives and the central role of language in preserving heritage is a testament to the festival's core mission: to provide a crucial platform for Kurdish stories to be told and for Kurdish voices, so often marginalized, to be heard.

The festival, which has been organized by the Kurdish Canadian Cultural Society (KCCS), has already received a powerful endorsement from the highest level of the Canadian government. In a formal letter of greeting, the Right Honourable Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, extended his "warmest greetings to everyone attending the 2nd edition of the Vancouver Kurdish Film Festival."

He praised the event for bringing "the community together in the spirit of dialogue, artistic expression, and cultural exchange" and thanked the organizers for their "commitment to celebrating the diversity that enriches our nation."

This high-level recognition underscores the festival's growing importance not only within the Kurdish diaspora but also within the broader multicultural fabric of Canadian society.

According to the festival's supervisors, the main goal of the event is "to introduce and showcase the strength, creativity, and cultural potential of Kurdish cinema."

They emphasized the critical need for such a platform, stating, "In a world where Kurdish voices are rarely heard, the existence of this festival is important for Kurdish stories, both in Kurdistan and in the diaspora, to be conveyed."

The festival is led by a dedicated and highly accomplished team of Kurdish artists and cultural activists, a group whose collective experience spans the worlds of theater, film, literature, and human rights advocacy.

The festival's president is Rizgar Hama, an award-winning theater artist with nearly four decades of experience in international projects. Salih Arif, a Vancouver-based film producer and a co-founder of the prestigious Duhok International Film Festival, serves as the Festival Director.

The marketing is managed by Niwar Ameen, a writer, researcher, and former chief editor of the Duhok festival. The crucial role of Sponsorship and Relations Manager is held by Kochar Abubaker, an author, cultural activist, and passionate advocate for women's rights whose award-winning poetry has been translated into multiple languages.

Rikan Sayda, an experienced director and videographer, serves as the Operations Manager.

The selection of 22 films for this year's festival, all directed by women, promises a rich and diverse cinematic experience. The program includes a compelling mix of feature-length films and a strong selection of shorts, each offering a unique and intimate perspective on the Kurdish experience.

The feature film lineup is particularly impressive, featuring works from acclaimed and emerging directors.

Soleen Yusef's "Winners," a German production from 2024, tells the story of a six-year-old Kurdish boy in a village on the Syrian-Turkish border who experiences his first year in an Arab school, a humorous and satirical look at a childhood caught between dictatorship and drama.

Hisham Zaman's "A Happy Day," a Norwegian production from 2023 that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows three teenage boys in a remote refugee camp in northern Norway as they hatch an escape plan.

"The Pasha, My Mother, and I," a 2023 Belgian documentary by Nevine Gerits, is a deeply personal exploration of a mother-daughter relationship shaped by the mother's Kurdish activism and exile.

"Night and Fog in Kurdistan," a 2024 international co-production by Shilan Saadi, tells the powerful story of seven Yezidi teenagers who survived the 2014 ISIS genocide, following their five-year migration journey from refugee camps to relocation in Europe.

Mehmet Ali Konar's "When the Walnut Leaves Turn Yellow," from Northern Kurdistan, is a poignant father-son story set in the war-ravaged 1990s.

And in "The Virgin and Child," a 2024 Belgian film by Binevsa Berivan, a young Kurdish-Yezidi woman and ISIS survivor finds herself in Brussels, determined to wreak vengeance on the man who enslaved her.

The festival's short film selection is equally diverse and powerful, showcasing a wide range of narrative and documentary styles. "Against Forgetting" by Azad Azizyan (USA, 2024) explores the fight to preserve culture in northern Kurdistan.

"Beyond the Alleys" by Navid Zare (Eastern Kurdistan, 2024) is a story of revenge. "Ezda" by Halime Akturk (Canada, 2024) features a Yazidi survivor of the ISIS genocide recounting her trauma and forging a new path in Canada.

"Goddess" by Hadith Moradi & Parisa Abdollahi (Eastern Kurdistan, 2025) is set in Eastern Kurdistan and follows an age-old custom of invoking a water goddess for rainfall.

"Habibullah" by Adnan Zandi (Eastern Kurdistan, 2024) tells the story of a singer who proves that music can be sacred in the face of religious opposition.

"Hand of Wind" by Heydar Hojat (Eastern Kurdistan, 2025) is a brief but poignant encounter at a roadside stall.

"Home Made" by Rojda Ezgi Oral (Northern Kurdistan, 2024) is set in 1980s Mardin and explores the oppressive atmosphere of an authoritarian education system.

"Homo Fuge" by Mashallah Mohammadi (Eastern Kurdistan, 2024) is a short animation about a man who sells everything to buy a good pair of shoes.

"Khalil" by Seyed Payam Hosseini (Australia, 2024) is a story about a 13-year-old boy worried about his late father's fate in the afterlife. "Markh" by Hossein Firooze (Eastern Kurdistan, 2025) is a documentary about a two-thousand-year-old tree in Khorasan, Iran, that is in danger of extinction.

"Morî" by Yakup Tekintangaç (Northern Kurdistan, 2024) is an emotional story about a young girl who believes her new teacher is her deceased father. "Mother Love" by Numan Acar (Germany, 2024) follows a young woman who uncovers a terrible family secret.

"Salt Sellers" by Maryam Samadi (Eastern Kurdistan, 2023) tells the story of a pregnant woman living by Lake Urmia who faces the risk of miscarriage due to salt storms. "Son" by Saman Hosseinpuor (Eastern Kurdistan, 2024) is about an old mother waiting for her son's return from military service, only to discover a secret that puts her in a dilemma.

Finally, "Zaam" by Siavash Vaziri (Eastern Kurdistan, 2023) is a family drama about a young man caring for his mentally-ill older brother.

This rich and varied program, unified under the theme of "Mother Tongue" and brought to life through the unique lens of women filmmakers, promises to be a powerful and unforgettable cinematic experience.

The official poster for this year's festival, designed by the artist "Yashar," captures the spirit of the event, which is set to be a cornerstone of cultural expression for the Kurdish community in Canada and a vital bridge for sharing their stories with the world.