Kurdish Short Film wins jury prize at Berlin International Film Festival
Shafaq News- Duhok
The Kurdish short film “Spî White” (The White Apple) won the International Jury's special prize for Best Short Film at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).
The film’s production manager, Kivi Salih, told Shafaq News on Saturday that the award reflects growing international interest in stories emerging from the Kurdistan Region.
Set in a small village in Kurdistan, the film follows an elementary school teacher who occasionally turns a classroom into a makeshift cinema using a large white sheet stretched across the blackboard. When adults remove the sheet, a group of curious children follows it, confronting a reality accepted by their elders while trying to reclaim their shared moment of joy.
Salih said the story highlights the continuity of cinema across generations, adding that the simplicity of rural life does not prevent the delivery of a profound and influential cinematic narrative.
The film was produced by MEERGAH Company with support from the Da Vinci Institute.
Hassan Fattah, spokesperson for the General Directorate of Culture and Arts in Duhok, told our agency that the international recognition of director Navroz Shaaban represents a major step for Kurdish art and strengthens the presence of Kurdish cinema at leading global festivals.
