The 8th Amed Documentary Film Festival (FilmAmed) kicked off with an evening event in Diyarbakır.
Cinephiles, directors, and many guests attended the event, which took place at the Amed City Theater.
The event was also attended by Meral Danış Beştaş, Erzurum MP of the Greens and Left Party (YSP) from Erzurum, and Saliha Aydeniz, Co-Chair of the Democratic Regions Party (DBP).
The festival, which will run until October 1, will feature 31 films.
“FilmAmed resists censorship”
Director Metin Ewr delivered the opening speech of the program. In his speech, Ewr emphasized the importance of documentary cinema, stating that documentary films are the memory of a society, and that's why they want to destroy and erase that memory.
Ewr continued his words by expressing that censorship shows how important their work is: "FilmAmed stands against censorship and against the plundering of our culture."
Erzurum MP Meral Danış Beştaş also addressed censorship in cinema in her speech. She pointed out that appointed trustees replacing elected Mayors not only seize municipalities but also develop denial, destruction, and assimilation policies.
She underlined that pressure is not directed only to the Kurds but the whole of the entire field of culture and art. She said, "They have imposed heavy pressure on our language and culture," and added that that explains why, she thinks, the government circles complain now and then that they have not been able to establish their cultural hegemony. "They know very well why they couldn't. This society will not allow it," she said.
Following the speeches, the festival's opening film, "Zimanê Dayikê" (Mother Tongue), directed by Sarkew Mesgarî, was screened.
The film delves into the ban on Kurdish in Iran and Eastern Kurdistan and the efforts of teachers who, against all odds, continue to teach Kurdish. After the film, there was a brief conversation with the director.
Mesgarî mentioned that these teachers have been teaching Kurdish for 15 years and often face pressure from the Iranian state.
At the end of the program, Saliha Aydeniz, Co-Chairperson of the DBP, presented a plaque to director Sarkew Mesgarî. (FD/KU/PE)
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