Despite early developments in the 1920s, what might be argued as Kurdish cinema is
a relatively new phenomenon. The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the
development, focus and limitations of this phenomenon from its beginnings in 1927
up to the present day.
The first section will examine the emergence of what I will argue could represent
Kurdish film from the political and social milieu of the Middle East, and the
ambitions and motivations of filmmakers emerging from this arena. Through a brief
examination of some of the most significant and influential Kurdish films (see
Appendix I for a more complete list of Kurdish titles), this will necessarily also reveal
the pressures, limitations and problems that confronted the filmmakers as voices of a
marginalized, oppressed and largely outlawed culture.
Following on from this, a select group of influential Kurdish directors will be
introduced through brief biographies, and some of their most famous films presented
for analysis and critique, examining the narrative focus and intent of the film, themes
that are of specific importance to the Kurdish people, and the methods they used to
overcome specific limitations placed on them by outside agencies, such as
governmental pressures.
The third section will identify and discuss in detail key areas of narrative focus that
can be observed in the vast majority of recognised Kurdish films, supported by
interviews conducted by the author at the 6th London Kurdish Film Festival (see
Appendix II) and other sources, with the intention of discussing the essential nature
and attributes of ‘Kurdish’ film, and this will be the focus of the dissertation’s
conclusion.
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