8TH London Kurdish Film Festival

Hosting three internationally renowned Kurdish filmmakers and a range of awarded films, theLondon Kurdish Film Festivalis delighted to announce its 8thFestival from 15th to 24th November 2013.

This year’s opening gala is crowned with the UK premiere of Before Snowfall, a thought provoking and poignant film about honour killing, by the multi-award winning director HishamZaman, who will also be attending the festival.

With the screening of an astounding 121 films, the LKFF is the only festival that brings together the largest selection of films from all four parts of Kurdistan and around the world. Comprising 23 features, 46 documentaries and 52 shorts, the festival explores a variety of issues, including: human and women’s rights; war and political struggle; homeland, conflicts of culture, language, and identity.

Highlights in our exclusive, star-studded feature line-up include master filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi's UK premiere of Rhino Season starring award winning actress Monica Bellucci and Behrouz Vossoughi; the UK premiere of the prestigious Cannes selected, My Sweet Pepperland directed by Hiner Saleem; and Antalya Golden Orange Best Film winnerYour Beauty Is Worth Nothingdirected by Hüseyin Tabak.The directors will be attending the festival and are ready for interviews and Q&A.

This year’s programme also includestwo topical documentaries, exploring the current struggle of Kurds in Syria (West Kurdistan):The Silent Revolution, and The Last Cigarette.

The festival also present two award winning shorts; Houses With Small Windows(2013 European Short Film Award, Venice) and L. Rezan Yeşilbaş’s Silent, which won the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at Festival Cannes 2012.

20 of the short films are competing in the prestigious 4thYılmazGüneyshort Film Competition, which will be announced during the festival.

The Opening Gala will be attended by a variety of prominent guests. Mr.EssaMoosa will be delivering a special address on the opening evening. A towering lawyer, judge and human rights activist,appointed in 1998 by President Nelson Mandela as a judge of the High Court of the Supreme Court of South AfricaEssaMoosa, made his mark not only in South Africa but globally. He presently serves as the chairperson of the Kurdish Human Right Action Group (KHRAG), based in Cape Town.

 PNA