ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - As leaders and heads of state from around 150 countries gather in New York for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Big Apple is also hosting a Kurdish festival which features a variety of art works, celebrating the vibrant stories of Kurdish people.
Xeyal Qertel, one of the organizers of the New York Kurdish Film Festival (NYKFF), told Rudaw on Wednesday, the festival is in its ninth edition.
“This is a space for Kurds from all four parts of Kurdistan … their films, their music, and their dance,” Qertel said.
“We want them to be proud of their identity.”
The annual event is led by a group of volunteers and features Kurdish cinema and culture.
This year's edition sheds light on all aspects of life of Kurdish individuals under oppression.
The festival kicked off with the Kurdish national anthem of Ey Raqib - ‘Oh Enemy’ in Kurdish - which is the national anthem of the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria (Rojava).
Filmmaker Azad Azizan is participating in the prestigious event with a documentary that tells the story of four Kurds in Diyarbakir, a predominantly Kurdish city in southeastern Turkey. Each individual tries to preserve Kurdish culture in their own unique way.
While the majority of the attendees are Kurds, the festival has drawn members of other communities who are interested in learning more about Kurdish heritage.
"For Kurds to be able to have a festival here, or any other cultural and intellectual events, I think it is important and will have massive impacts on people," Sanaan Muradi, a university lecturer, told Rudaw.
"I have spoken with too many people here. Some of them know and some others do not even know who Kurds are. We must try to introduce our nation, and this is going to be very big,” he stressed.
Harvey Berman, a New Yorker, who attended the event said "my nephew is married to a Kurdish woman from eastern Turkey. Whatever is dear to her, is dear to me. So, I am here."
The festival runs from September 20 to 25th and is set to wrap up its activities on Thursday.
Namo Abdulla has contributed to this piece.
