The Festival

Launched in 2001, the London Kurdish Film Festival (LKFF) is the biggest film festival of its kind, bringing together films from four parts of Kurdistan and the rest of the world to film audiences in London.

A non-profit charity organisation led by a team of volunteers, LKFF has come a long way since its inception, leaving behind 10 successful festivals, each growing in magnitude and significance.

As the London Kurdish Film Festival, we believe cinema is a powerful and influential form of artistic expression and one which carries great importance for Kurds, who have, like all oppressed nations, transformed cinema into a tool for emancipation and self-expression. At a time when the existence, culture and art of the Kurdish people is under threat, the London Kurdish Film Festival provides a pivotal platform for Kurdish and non-Kurdish filmmakers to showcase films of any style, topic and genre which highlight the experiences and struggles facing Kurds across the world and in doing so, perhaps, granting a meaning beyond its artistic pretence.

The continuing rise in Kurdish film production has also meant that there are now more films covering critical topics and telling even more compelling stories, which are of a higher quality than ever before. 

As the London Kurdish Film Festival, we will continue to serve as a showcase event for Kurdish cinema, and strive to contribute to the growth and development of the Kurdish film industry by nurturing and rewarding exceptional Kurdish talent and cinema from the region and around the world.

 

History

The London Kurdish Film Festival was established in 2001 by a team of young filmmakers from across Kurdistan including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey. It is the biggest film festival of its kind, bringing together films from four parts of Kurdistan and the rest of the world to audiences in London. Organised every two years since 2001, the LKFF has organised 10 successful film festivals in London.

 

Mission

LKFF plays a significant role in increasing access to the international films made by the Kurdish directors or on themes related to Kurds made by any director for the UK audiences. Not only does it bring together films on Kurds across the Middle East including Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, it also functions as a platform that brings together the Middle Eastern and Western audiences to broaden cultural dialogue between different communities in the UK.

LKFF also offers increased access and engagement with Kurdish films which might not otherwise be seen by UK audiences and in doing so, helps grow the film audiences in the UK and raise the profile of Kurdish cinema across the UK and internationally.