Duhok Launches 12th International Film Festival With Global Guests and Expansive Program
The 12th Duhok International Film Festival opened with 110 films, focused on climate change, and featuring Spain as the guest country, aiming to showcase Kurdish cinema and reconnect the region with its ancient cultural identity.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The 12th Duhok International Film Festival opens today, October 9, bringing an array of screenings, artistic panels, and global guests to the heart of the Kurdistan Region. Festival organizers confirmed that preparations are complete for an edition designed both to showcase this year’s 110 films and to reaffirm Duhok’s cultural mission: presenting Kurdistan as a land of cinematic creativity rather than conflict, and reconnecting Mesopotamia’s ancient legacy with contemporary world cinema.
The festival will run for eight days and feature not only film screenings but also a wide range of artistic panels and cultural activities. Festival Public Relations Director Hesen Arif told Kurdistan24 that all preparations have been finalized, noting that more than 100 dedicated young volunteers are taking part in the organization, alongside dozens of international filmmakers and artists who have arrived to participate.
A total of 110 local and international films will be screened this year. The main theme of the 2024 edition highlights “climate change and transformation,” a topic the festival has chosen to emphasize through multiple films addressing environmental shifts and their human impact.
Spain is participating as this year’s official “guest country,” contributing 13 films to the program. Screenings will take place across three main venues in central Duhok, forming one of the festival’s most diverse and globally connected programs to date.
Meanwhile, organizers revealed ongoing discussions regarding the invitation of a major regional cinema star—whether Arab, Turkish, or Iranian—but noted that the final decision has not yet been made.
Arif stressed that the Duhok International Film Festival represents an important opportunity for promoting Kurdish cinema and elevating global awareness of the city of Duhok, describing the event as a powerful cultural platform with growing influence.
The Duhok International Film Festival is widely considered a unique cinematic event in the Kurdistan Region, designed to reconnect this land with its ancient cultural identity. Much of Kurdistan lies across the territories of historic Mesopotamia—one of the oldest civilizations on Earth, where writing was first developed and early philosophical thought emerged. Once a cradle of societal innovation, the region has long impacted the development of global culture.
The festival’s mission is to restore this cultural perception by presenting Duhok as a center of artistic growth rather than a landscape defined by political conflict. Its organizers describe the event as a space where “the fertile land of Mesopotamia breathes cinema and epic stories,” inspiring new creative strength through film.
A major goal of the festival is to serve as a bridge between Kurdish filmmaking and the global cinema industry. It aims to provide a launch platform for films from all four parts of Kurdistan—East, South, West, and North—while also spotlighting productions made by Kurdish filmmakers living in the diaspora. At the same time, it offers international audiences a gateway to the stories, images, and artistic identities emerging from Kurdistan.
The festival promotes cross-cultural dialogue by bringing together diverse filmmakers, values, and traditions. Duhok becomes a meeting point between ancient and modern cultures, where world cinema encounters Kurdish narratives in an atmosphere of shared passion and creative discovery.
Organized by the General Directorate of Culture, Arts, Sports and Youth of Duhok and the Cinema Directorate of Duhok in cooperation with mîtosfilm Berlin, the event continues to grow in scope, ambition, and global reach.
Opening its 12th edition with more than a hundred films, international guests, and a strong artistic vision, the Duhok International Film Festival reaffirms its role as a cultural bridge and a cinematic beacon for the Kurdistan Region. As Duhok hosts filmmakers from across the world, the festival carries forward its mission of restoring Mesopotamia’s creative identity and nurturing the next generation of Kurdish cinematic talent.