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 November 9-16, 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
SPECIAL SCREENING CATEGORIES
SOLIDARITY
This category will be created in collaboration with the Amed International Film Festival and other festivals or collectives that carry out thematic work in specific areas. It aims to bring together films produced on original topics and in specific contexts, and to present them to the audience.
One of the key missions of the Amed International Film Festival is to create a platform for expression and screening by bringing together films centered on particular themes and offering space to both the subjects of these films and the filmmakers who created them. This category will include feature films, documentaries, and short films.
Panel: A panel or forum will be organized around a topic or topics that highlight solidarity and collective organization within this context.
KEZÎYÊN SERHILDÊR
Designed as the Women Filmmakers Category, this section features films produced over the past 8 years by women filmmakers and centered on the principles of a women’s liberationist paradigm. It not only focuses on the director’s gender but also highlights works that express women’s struggles for freedom, collective solidarity, and resistance to injustice through cinema.
Today, the persistence of sexist discourse in the field of art continues to negatively affect the representation and roles of women. This often leads to the undervaluation of works by women filmmakers and limits their space for artistic expression.
The increase in violence against women following the annulment of the Istanbul Convention has made women’s struggles in Turkey more visible, while global women’s movements -such as the women-led protests in Iran- should also be recognized as significant examples.
The subjects addressed by women filmmakers stand as a form of resistance against gender inequality and aim to bring women’s stories, struggles, emotions, and experiences to broader audiences. In this context, the transformative power of cinema offers a platform for women to come together, raise their voices, and continue their struggle.
Feature films, documentaries, and short films can be included in this category. The number of films to be screened will be determined based on submissions and the quality of the selected films. This category aims to create a solidarity network that strengthens the presence of women in the arts and to serve as a platform for artistic resistance against injustice. The creative contributions of women will be presented as an essential part of the struggle for rights and freedoms through the universal language of cinema.
Panel: A panel or forum will be organized around topics and themes determined by women filmmakers.
8-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE
This category will feature feature films, documentaries, and short films produced in Kurdish cinema over the past 8 years. It will also include films that have been screened at other Kurdish film festivals.
This is one of the categories where the inclusive and supportive mission of the Amed International Film Festival will be clearly demonstrated.
Panel: One or two panels will be held under the general theme of “Kurdish Cinema,” with topics selected to align with and complement the films included in this category.
WITH NATURE…
A democratic and egalitarian life is vital not only for human relations but also for the relationship between humans and nature.
Based on this understanding, the “With Nature…” category represents one of the core principles of our festival, aiming to develop and strengthen ecological approaches in art, and particularly in cinema.
This category will feature feature films, documentaries, and short films. It will be further enriched through collaboration with independent institutions working in this field.
Panel: A panel or forum will be organized in collaboration with individuals and institutions producing work in this area, focusing on topics determined collectively.
FILMS FROM THE AMED PLATEAU
This category will present films shot in Amed that take into account the sensitivities and values of the city and the festival.
In addition to aiming to contribute to the cinematic memory of the city, the category also seeks to inspire future film projects.
Panel: A panel will be organized with local stakeholders to explore what can be done to strengthen cinema in Amed and how to contribute to transforming the city into a physical space for cinema.