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Kurdish Film Festival is a unique phenomenon |
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London Kurdish Film Festival is a unique
phenomenon 14.10.2006
By KSSO. Contribution Kameel Ahmady
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November 14, 2006
London Kurdish Film Festival is a unique
phenomenon; we should all work to encourage and
promote such artistic ventures.
Kurdistan is a land that does not exist on any maps,
but remains important in the lives of many
nonetheless. As for the Kurdish cinema, it is
non-existences entity but tries to represent a
culture and a place which Kurds wish to call
Kurdistan.
In this global world communication is considered the
most important tool and communicating ideas through
this medium is a vital tool in cultural exchange.
While film and visual representation always been
used as one of the driving vehicles to reflect our
life and the world we live in, in the face of this
Kurdish films and cinema has managed in many
instances to maintain this very important projects.
In the last few years with the works of prominent
and successful Kurdish directors, Kurdish
traditions, beliefs and identity, a rich and diverse
heritage in the region of Mesopotamia, has been
shown to the wider world.
As a relatively new organisation and one with a
mandate to widen the discussion of Kurdish issues,
Kurdish Studies and Students Organisation of the UK
(KSSO) is pleased to be an official supporter of the
4th London Kurdish Film Festival. We think that the
film festival is an important contribution to this
aim of widening dialogue, and is unique in several
respects.
It is one of the occasions in which all the major
organisations representing Kurds in London come
together in a shared venture, putting aside
differences of politics and regional affiliations in
the interests of promoting positive, artistic
developments within contemporary Kurdish society.
Given a context in which political tensions and a
lack of common vision have prevailed for so long,
the value of this cannot be underestimated. In fact,
this kind of activity can go a long way in bridging
the often petty divides which have undermined shared
Kurdish interests for decades.
The focus on artistic and cultural production is a
much needed antidote to the singularly political
representation of Kurdish issues which predominates.
Democracy and human rights are not only about
representational government, the right to vote and
equality for all minorities; they are also about the
freedom in which to develop a vibrant civil society
and cultural infrastructure in which artists,
educators, and regular citizens take part and
dissent. While politics often speaks a language of
power struggles and exclusionary policies, cinema,
theatre and the visual arts speaks in a language of
human emotions. This is both more experimental and
more inclusive. Politically elite versions of
reality lack this dimension of participation, but
artistic interpretations of reality are all equally
valid and open to question.
Finally, projects such as the London Kurdish Film
Festival are important to broadening dialogue
because they address human realities, while also
portraying particular aspects of Kurdish existence.
They speak to humanity, not only the Kurds. When
well-known filmmakers like Bahman Ghobadi and Hinar
Salim travel the globe presenting their films at
festivals in Europe, North America and Asia, they
invite diverse audiences to learn about the Kurdish
people. Those with no prior knowledge of the Kurds
will see the unique aspects of the culture and
history, as well as shared universals. The London
Kurdish Film Festival achieves the same at the local
level, by allowing this opportunity to Londoners
from all cultures, faiths and heritages. Many people
will first be exposed to such things through the
universal phenomenon of the arts.
But Kurdistan today is not only about traditional
culture, and as it rests on the brink of massive
developments, Kurdistan has been highlighted on the
international stage as its films and filmmakers make
headway on the artistic front through the
international festival circuit.
As contributions to the world of cinema by Kurdish
directors expand each year, presenting an image of
contemporary Kurdistan and its people, Kurds
themselves are also given an opportunity for
reflection in the ways they see themselves
portrayed. New or previously taboo topics can be
tackled by audiences and filmmakers alike. In this
context, it is vital for Kurdish women and female
directors to address and expose the treatment of
gender and the unequal situation of woman in their
work. This can open up further dialogue and help to
bring social change.
As an organisation that strives to promote more
inclusive, critical and open dialogue about Kurdish
issues, we applaud the London Kurdish Film Festival
for its efforts in this regard. We should all work
to encourage and promote such artistic ventures, for
the benefit not only of the Kurds in London, but for
all.
More information about KSSO and their activities is
available by visiting their website: www.ksso.org.uk
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