IV Moscow Kurdish Film Festival calls for filmmakers' participation in Russia

Shafaq News / The fourth edition of the Moscow Kurdish Film Festival will be held from September 18 to 22, 2024, in the Russian capital, Moscow.

Kurdish film critic Mansour Jehani told Shafaq News Agency that "The Moscow Kurdish Film Festival (MKFF) in its fourth edition will be chaired by Kerem Gerdenzeri, a prominent Kurdish composer and singer from Russia, with the supervision of Gulizer Gerdenzeri and Inna Tedzhoeva, aiming to reflect the culture, history, and preservation of the national and linguistic identity of Kurds, as well as their modern life."

"The Festival would showcase a range of productions in the competition section for movies, documentary films, short film competition, Kurdish cinema night, and the display of the best Russian films, along with a cultural and artistic exhibition from September 18 to 22, 2024, in Moscow, Russia."

Jehani added that "the organizers called on filmmakers who have produced films about Kurds or with Kurdish content to participate with their cinematic and documentary films in the competition section of this cinematic event.

He explained that "the 'Golden Sun' award is a crystal stele with a golden sun, and winners will receive awards for the best feature film, best documentary film, best short fiction film, best short documentary film, and the 'Partnership in Kurdish Cinema' award."

The organizers of the fourth edition of the Moscow Kurdish Film Festival stated in a press release that "this festival has become a recognized and beloved event by cinema enthusiasts over the past three years, especially since not only Kurdish expatriates and residents in Russia follow the festival, but also last year the festival attracted the attention of cinema experts, professionals, and viewers from Russia, which is one of the most important characteristics that the festival organizers are keen to continue implementing a significant and necessary work."

They further noted that "since the festival's inception, a plan has been drawn to introduce not only cinema but generally with the rich and distinctive culture of Kurds, and they managed in 2023 to manage an exhibition for contemporary Kurdish arts. This year, they hope to continue the same approach, in addition to cinema, focusing on visual arts, music, dances, literature, and even delicious Kurdish cuisine."

The festival organizers also mentioned that last year's edition of the Moscow Kurdish Film Festival focused on the cinema of Eastern Kurdistan with all its rich history and traditions, while for the current year, the focus will be on language, dialogue, and discussions between cultural aspects and in collaboration with Russian cinema.

They noted that the “Kurds are one of the oldest nations in the world, with a rich history and a distinctive and diverse culture expressed through contemporary Kurdish cinema. The Moscow Kurdish Film Festival films will integrate its audience with the beauty and power of national culture, customs, traditions, religious culture, and all social and cultural phenomena of the Kurdish people, considered the real treasure of cinema in the East.”