The New York Kurdish Film Festival (NYKFF) celebrates its 10th edition, marking a decade of presenting bold, independent Kurdish cinema in the heart of New York City.

Founded by the New York Kurdish Cultural Center, NYKFF is dedicated to showcasing films that explore Kurdish life, identity, history, and artistic expression across borders. The festival provides a vital platform for emerging and established filmmakers whose voices are often underrepresented in global cinema.

Over the past ten years, NYKFF has grown into a dynamic cultural space that brings together filmmakers, artists, and audiences for screenings, conversations, and community engagement. Despite ongoing financial challenges, the festival has remained committed to contributing to New York’s rich artistic landscape and fostering cross-cultural dialogue through film.

The 10th edition continues this mission by presenting a curated selection of short and feature films, documentaries, and experimental works that challenge perspectives and expand narratives. In addition to screenings, the festival will host panels, discussions, and special events that deepen engagement with the films and their themes.

We welcome submissions from filmmakers of Kurdish origin and those whose work meaningfully engages with Kurdish stories, landscapes, and experiences.

Join us in celebrating ten years of resilience, storytelling, and cinema.

Rules & Terms

The NYKCC is committed to creating an inclusive and secure environment for all diaspora Kurds and their friends in the New York area and beyond. In our spaces, we do not tolerate physical or verbal harassment of women, LGBTQ, disabled, minority, or other individuals. Together, by respecting everyone’s dignity and ensuring that all interactions are consensual, we can ensure that NYKCC is a safe and welcoming community.

Rules and Guidelines for 2026 Submissions

Welcome to the submission process for the 2026 New York Kurdish Film Festival. Compliance with the following rules and guidelines is essential for participation. By submitting a film, you unconditionally accept these terms, so please review them carefully before proceeding.

Film Categories Accepted:
Feature Fiction & Feature Documentary (longer than 40 minutes)
Short Fiction and Short Documentary (under 40 minutes)
Student Film (any duration and genre)
Experimental (any duration and genre)

Legal Rights and Clearances:
Entrants must hold all legal rights for their film submission, including necessary clearances for public exhibition.

Intellectual Property:
Filmmakers retain all submission and intellectual property rights.

Submission Method:
Films must be submitted electronically via FilmFreeway.
the film must be submitted to one catagory only.

Do not submit films that have been selected in prior editions of the festival.

Subtitles:
All films must have English subtitles.
Resubmissions:
Filmmakers are allowed to resubmit films that have been previously submitted.

Confidentiality:
All personal contact information will remain confidential and will not be shared with any third parties.

Marketing Use:
NYKFF reserves the right to use images from selected films for marketing purposes.

Eligibility:
If the filmmaker is not Kurdish and the film is not about Kurds, please do not submit your film.

Production Date:
Only films made after 2023 are eligible for submission.
We look forward to your submissions and wish you the best of luck in the selection process!
4 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Bahr Films Company

    Special Thanks to all of festival’s team.

    January 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your feedback.

    All submissions to our festival are reviewed independently by the jury, and selections are made through a competitive process. From the films submitted, one was selected, publicly screened, and a screening fee was provided — which is not standard practice for many festivals.

    We strive to communicate clearly within the scope of our programming capacity and timelines, and we are glad the collaboration was acknowledged in the film’s credits with a special thanks to the festival team.

    We appreciate the opportunity to engage and wish you continued success with your work.

  • Saeed Bahman

    God festival with great communication

    October 2024
    Helpful
  • Ron Butler

    We couldn't wish for a better place to screen our short film Ezda! The organizers, volunteers and the audiences were so amazing. Thank you New York Kurdish Film festival <3

    October 2024
    Helpful
  • hezhwan zendi

    Everything was just amazing. Outstanding Film Festival.

    October 2024
    Helpful