The Best Kurdish Feature Film and Best International Feature categories celebrated groundbreaking works that blended artistry with deep emotional resonance. Several winning films highlighted themes of exile, belonging, and the power of language — aligning perfectly with the festival’s message. Beyond the screenings, the city of Sulaymaniyah came alive with creative energy. The festival coincided with public art installations, book fairs, and music performances that turned the city into a living, breathing cultural hub.
An exhibition of ceramic art inspired by Kurdish cinema drew large crowds, showcasing the connection between traditional craft and modern creativity. Cafés around the festival venues buzzed with conversations in multiple languages — Kurdish, Arabic, Persian, English, and French — a testament to the global spirit of the event. It wasn’t unusual to see a student filmmaker from Erbil debating cinematography with a director from Berlin, or a Kurdish poet reciting verses to a French actress over coffee.
