Duhok International Film Festival 2016 Closing Ceremony

On Friday, September 16th The 4th edition of Duhok  turned off its large screens with the announcement of the festival’s awards. Once again Duhok city witnessed the biggest cultural event in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. More than thousand people attended at the closing ceremony when two Kurdish films topped the awards, Ahu Ozturk’s “Dust Cloth” and “Rauf” by Baris Kaya and Soner Caner.

“Rauf” won the award for the best Kurdish feature film and the award for the best actor in a Kurdish feature film for the performance from Alen Gursoy. “Dust Cloth” won the awards for best Kurdish screenplay, best Kurdish director for Ahu Ozturk, and the award for best actress in a Kurdish feature film, Nazan Kezal.

“My Paradise” from director and producer Ekrem Heydo received the award of Cinema for Peace. Heydo is also from Rojava. His film depicts the lives of a few classmates during the 2011 Syrian revolution in the Kurdish city of Gire Spi. The award for peace was given by the Cinema for Peace Foundation, a partner organization with the Duhok Festival. It is a non-profit organization founded to influence the perception and resolution of global challenges following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

The full list of the awards were collected by:

World Cinema Awards:

•    Kıvanç Sezer’s “My Father’s Wings” won the Yilmaz Güney Award for the Best International Feature-Length Film.

•    Ida Panahandeh’s “Nahid” won the New Talent Award for the Best First or Second International Feature-Length Film.

•    Sami Mermer’s “Callshop Istanbul” won the best International Documentary Film Award.

•    “Mothers” by Maimouna Doucoure won the best international short film award.

•    “The Translator” by Emre Kayis received the Jury award of the international short film.

•   “Walking Distance” by Alejandro Guzman Alvarez won the audience award.

Kurdish Cinema Awards:

•    “Rauf” by Baris Kaya and Soner Caner won the Best Kurdish Feature Film Award.

•    Ahu Ozturk, director of “Dust Cloth” won the award of best Director of a Kurdish Film.

•    Ahu Ozturk, writer and director of “Dust Cloth” won the award of best Screenplay of a Kurdish Film.

•    Best actor award of a Kurdish film went to Alen Gursoy in “Rauf”

•    Best Actress award of a Kurdish film went to Nazan Kesal in “Dust Cloth”

•    “Gulistan, Land of Roses” by Zaynê Akyol won the best Kurdish Documentary award.

•    “Shadows” by Bulent Ozturk won the award for the best Kurdish short film.

•    “The Boss” by RIzgar Husen recived the Jury award of a Kurdish short film.

•    “House Without Roof” by Soleen Yusef won the audience award.

•    The Duhok Governorate Award for the best Kurdish film produced in the Bahdinan Region went to ‘The Swallow’ by the award-winning Kurdish director Mano Khalil.

•    “My Paradise” by Ekrem Heydo won the Cinema for Peace award.

The Festival ended with Mr. Ayoub Ramadhan’s statement as the president of the festival for the last time, that is when Mr. Ramdhan declared his resignation to the public and handed over his duties to Mr. Salih Arif. Despite all circumstances that the region is passing through lately, the financial defects and all the obstacles that Duhok IFF faced in 2016, the festival crew and volunteers gave their best to present an extra-ordinary event to the entire world.