Kurdish film screen at Toronto International Film Festival

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Documentary about Kurdish girl

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – ‘My Name Is Happy,’ a documentary about a Kurdish girl from Diyarbakir, Turkey (Bakur), won an award at the Krakow Film Festival on Sunday

The Krakow Film Festival was held on May 28 in the city of Krakow, Poland. The festival is the oldest film festival in Poland and lasts until June 18. Out of 240 films, 'My Name is Happy' won the documentary category's main prize.

'My Name is Happy' was directed by Nick Read and Ayse Toprak.

The film is about a Kurdish girl named Mutlu Kaya who participated in a singing contest on a Turkish channel. She became famous for her beauty and singing, but on May 18, 2015, she was shot by her fiancé at home. Although Kaya was seriously injured and permanently disabled, she did not give up and fought for women’s rights.

Another part of 'My Name Is Happy’ is about Kaya's sister, Dilek Kaya, who was shot dead by her boyfriend in her apartment in Diyarbakir.

The film contains several feminist themes regarding women’s rights in Kurdish society and it strives to help create a platform to expand their voices.

One of the sponsors of the Krakow Film Festival is Ziyad Raoof, a well-known Kurdish personality living in Poland. For many years, Raoof has sponsored Krakow Film Festival.

Critics praised the film for its storytelling, themes, and directing. “A tale of remarkable resilience... inspirational and patiently powerful,” the Daily Mail wrote.

The Guardian wrote, “[t]he film is a warm family portrait and at the same time a merciless attack on a legal system and a state that does not protect women. It shows love, unity and not least the fight for justice.”

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/31 ... m-Festival

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Kurdish movie at Egyptian festival

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A White Dark House is a Kurdish film directed by Hardi Hassan Ali and it is scheduled to be screened at the Sharm El Sheikh Film Festival (SSFF) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on July 20

The director of the film told Kurdistan 24, “This movie was shot in Erbil by a talented young staff, including Muhammed Idris as director of photography, Goran Ma'roof as set designer, Zanyar Kakakhani as sound designer, Karzan Piran as production manager, Kardina Hemin the programmer and many others.”

He also revealed that this short film won the Best Director Award at the International Film Festival of India, as well as several other awards in Kurdistan and abroad.

Moreover, Ali said that the film has a duration of 18 minutes, and it tells the story of two characters named Dana and Shirin. The two protagonists are lost between a writer's story and their real lives.

In addition to directing the movie, Ali wrote the script and produced the film. The film was sponsored by the Ala Center for Cultural and Artistic Development.

The SSFF is an annual event hosted in Sharm El Sheikh City in Egypt. The festival welcomes both long and short films, in addition to documentaries. There are Gold and Silver prizes for the best films, with additional rewards for best actor and actress.

The SSFF presents an opportunity for Middle Eastern filmmakers to create a dialogue on cultural, political, and economic issues that resonate with local populations.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/31 ... m-festival

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Toronto International Film Festival

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – ‘[b]A Happy Day’, which was directed by Kurdish-Norwegian Hisham Zaman, has been nominated for the best world film award at the Toronto International Film Festival[/b]

The film was shot in the snowy regions of northern Norway. It tells the story of three young men whose deportation had been delayed because they were under the age of 18. They were placed in a remote camp in Norway until they turned 18. The three young men decide to work together to escape from the camp, but after all three fall in love with the same girl, their plan fails.

Zaman is one of Norway's most famous directors whose works, unlike mainstream European cinema, present an invisible side of Europe that raises important and sensitive global issues, especially immigration policies. Through complex characters and black comedy, Zaman raises a controversial issue in European refugee policy that is rarely seen in mainstream Western cinema.

His other well-known movies are Bawke (2005), Winterland (2007), Before Snowfall (2013), and Letter to the King (2014).

With more than 480,000 attendees every year, the Toronto International Film Festival is one of the world's largest film festivals.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32 ... m-Festival