The Amed International Film Festival began its journey in 2012 in Amed, launched by the Middle Eastern Cinema Academy in partnership with the Metropolitan Municipality of Diyarbakır and supported by local municipalities.
It was founded to create a platform for filmmakers —particularly Kurdish filmmakers— who are independent, free from industry-power dynamics, who challenge gender norms through a women’s liberation paradigm, who regard all segments of society as cultural richness, who see ecology as a fundamental element of social life, and who prioritize resistance and freedom over preserving the status quo.
Rooted in the principles of democratic society and shaped by its own unique local context, the festival has brought together artists from the Middle East and around the world. It has become a symbol of how cinema can transcend conventional formats, uniting filmmakers and audiences in a free, open environment.
As its history shows, Amed —a stronghold of change, transformation, and resistance— has always embraced, and when necessary, created a mission of nurturing, inspiring, and hosting artists across the arts.
In this spirit, every cultural event held in Amed carries the potential to transcend the familiar and the conventional, offering itself as both a model and an example —guided by the principles and practices of a democratic, ecological, and women’s liberation-centered paradigm in art.
Rooted in the principles of a democratic society paradigm, the Amed International Film Festival has brought filmmakers and audiences together twice within this framework, establishing itself as a vital and significant alternative.
For eight years, due to well-known circumstances, the festival —like other branches of art— could not take place. Yet beyond its official organizers, the festival has become an event truly owned by the city: embraced by every institution in Amed that has something to express about the city. This reflects the identity of Amed.
From its very first year, the Amed International Film Festival set a new benchmark for Kurdish film festivals, helping to unify similar initiatives that had previously existed independently, in isolation. In the years since, its unifying role has become even more evident in the evolving landscape of Kurdish cinema.
In this regard, the Amed International Film Festival has also taken on a broader mission —as a source of strength, solidarity, and visibility for Kurds and Kurdish filmmakers around the world.
While embracing all Kurdish filmmakers as hosts, the festival also opens its screen to peoples from across the globe, within a shared framework of values and principles. With just two editions, it has carried this mission to a meaningful point.
After an eight-year hiatus, the Amed International Film Festival is once again turning its projectors on. The Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality is organizing the festival in collaboration with all institutions that have something to say or share with Amed, society, and communities through art and cinema.
After an eight-year hiatus, our festival aims once again to bring filmmakers together. Although the festival was not held during this period, Kurdish filmmakers continued to create, resulting in a significant surge of film production across all four parts of Kurdistan and the diaspora.
Across the Kurdish region, the Middle East, and the wider world, the resistance of peoples has gained strong momentum and continues to advance. Naturally, these developments have been reflected in art and cinema.
Within this context, we believe audiences have been deprived of festivals that provide a space to engage with these films, explore them from fresh perspectives, discuss their themes, and carry their themes into social life.
Therefore, we approach the 3rd Amed International Film Festival as both a reflection of the past eight years of Kurdish cinema, as well as a snapshot of cinema in the Middle East and beyond.
In this spirit, we hope to reconnect with our audience through a festival that bridges this eight-year gap, reintroduces us to the world of cinema and art, and —true to our mission— brings people together, sparks new encounters, and opens doors to new horizons.
At our festival, which will take place between December 7-14, we aim to present a panorama of the past eight years, and to leave a promise of reuniting again next year.
Workshops
In October, our workshops —which will serve as the early footsteps of the festival— will leave a significant mark on the city’s cinematic landscape together with their participants.
The workshops have been designed based on the city’s existing potential. They will be held with the participation of accomplished professionals in their respective fields.
- Short Film Production and Directing Workshop
- Cinema and Women / Women and Cinema Workshop
Festival Committee
The festival committee, to be formed by the Middle Eastern Cinema Academy and the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Cinema Unit / SÎNEBÎR, will serve as the main organizing body of the festival. The five-member committee will establish units and specialized sub-units to ensure the smooth execution of the festival and will oversee their work. The festival will take place over 7 days in suitable venues and halls across Diyarbakır.
Advisory Board
The advisory board is a body from which the festival committee will receive support, opinions, and suggestions during the festival process. It consists of artists, filmmakers, and academics who will make significant contributions to the festival’s vision.
Festival Venues
The festival will take place not only in the cinema halls of the Sezai Karakoç Congress Center of the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality but also in Amed City Theater and other venues with similar facilities. It is a festival in planning that will spread across all suitable locations and venues in Diyarbakır.
Festival Slogan: “Stories bring the world together..”
CATEGORIES – COMPETITION CATEGORY
THE JOURNEY OF KURDISH CINEMA
This main category, which focuses on Kurdish cinema, will evaluate films thematically in accordance with the vision of the Amed International Film Festival and will award them accordingly.
It consists of the following subcategories;
INTERNATIONAL FILMS
This section aims to create a cultural and artistic space for communication in the field of cinema by encouraging the participation of films produced in different countries around the world in the Amed International Film Festival.
The principles that shape the festival’s own identity and form also apply to this category.
It consists of the following subcategories;
SÎNEBÎR PROJECT FUND
PURPOSE
To support the development of Kurdish cinema, encourage scriptwriting, assist individuals who wish to improve themselves in this field, and contribute to the qualitative and quantitative advancement of screenwriting in Kurdish cinema, Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality will provide support for screenplay projects in the categories of “Feature Film Screenplay, Documentary Film Screenplay, and Short Film Screenplay” as part of the Amed International Film Festival.
SCOPE
The project fund is open to anyone who can write in Kurdish or its dialects. Members of the Board of Directors of the Middle Eastern Cinema Academy Association, members of the Amed International Film Festival Organizing Committee, employees of the Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality, and members of the screenplay jury are not eligible to apply. Scripts that have won an award or placement in another screenplay competition or have previously been filmed are not eligible for submission.
AMOUNTS TO BE AWARDED UNDER THE PROJECT
– Feature Film Screenplay
– Documentary Film Screenplay
– Short Film Screenplay