Rudaw documentary on Mustafa Yamulki wins international award

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Rudaw Media Network documentary “Mustafa Pasha Yamulki: A Struggler for Justice” received the award for best documentary at the International Brightlight Film Festival in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday.

Directed by Horen Ghareeb and Hardi Qadir, the documentary film follows the life of Yamulki, a Kurdish military officer who was appointed chairman of the Istanbul Courts-Martial (or Ottoman Trials) of 1919-1920. Yamulki condemned the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and his associates to death in absentia for their involvement in the Armenian genocide. He was removed from the position two months later.

The film first was previewed during a private screening at the Armenian Church in Ankawa, a predominately Christian district in Erbil, on April 24, 2023, the anniversary of the Armenian genocide. The film has been screened at dozens of international festivals gathering multiple awards and nominations for best documentary and director.

Born in 1866 in Sulaimani, a Kurdish city now part of the Kurdistan Region, Yamulki served as education minister in Sheikh Mahmud Barzanji’s short-lived Kingdom of Kurdistan under the jurisdiction of the British Mandate of Mesopotamia following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He died in Baghdad in 1936.

The third International Brightlight Film Festival provides a platform for creative filmmakers from around the world to showcase their work and introduce independent filmmakers to the world of cinema.

More than 500 films are submitted for consideration yearly.