Nov 6th - 1 Min Read
Rojava Film Commune and Its Role in Developing Kurdish Cinema
By: Birhat AtrushiAt the dawn of the 21st century, Kurdish political representation became more prominent in various areas. In particular, during the Syrian Civil War, Kurdish factions began implementing their own political administration within the nation. Among such departments were cultural and artistic representations that shaped much of the internal perception of Kurdish culture.
The Rojava Film Commune was established in 2015 by a group of collective filmmakers wishing to revive the role of Kurdish cinema and its historical connection with Kurdish identity. They are based in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) or Rojava.
They have produced films that reflect the political and social tension of the Kurdish struggle within the Middle East such as The End Willow Be Spectacular which offers a first glance into a film that is locally produced.
Apart from warfare-based narratives that wish to document real events, they have also adopted core values within their non-hierarchical structures such as mentioning feminism, collectivism, and ethnic pluralism.
Apart from continuously producing films that explore human conditions through war, they have also assisted in the formation of exhibitions all across the world including in New York.
The Rojava Film Commune continues to produce local and international projects which assert the relationship between artistic expression and socio-political transition and critique in the Middle East.