We believe in the moral and civic responsibility of the gifted filmmaker and artist to use his or her talents in a manner that positively changes the world and obviates the need for violence. Our vision and philosophy at Peace Film Initiative (PFI) is a world where compassion wins over cold politics, peace wins over terror, and love and coexistence win over bigotry. Our philosophy lies in turning an otherwise violent situation into a peaceful resolution through the art of film.

Our first annual international peace film festival, IPFF is underway in the Kurdish region’s capital, Erbil (May 12-16, 2019). The festival theme is Living Together in Peace. Our focus are films that promote cross cultural, interfaith, and interracial themes, and films about and/or by the marginalized and victims of violence, especially minorities, women, children, and the elderly. Hence, our motto is to be the "Voice of the Voiceless".

Through IPFF we aim to serve as a bridge between the local film scene and the world film community; to introduce international filmmakers to the crisis particular to the region; to put a spotlight on human rights violations in various corners of the world; and most importantly, to promoter a culture of peace and coexistence.

Rules & Terms

➔We accept feature-length fiction, docudramas, and documentaries, short fiction films and documentaries, and short animations. Animation films must not exceed 15 minutes in length.
➔You film or documentary subject line must be in sync with our theme: Peace and coexistence.
➔Content that is submitted in a language other than English is required to have English subtitles included.
➔Projects producer before 2017 will not be accepted.
➔We retain the right to change the date or location of the festival, granted we keep it within Kurdistan region.
➔Films must be submitted as an online screener. We do NOT screen films in any other format.
➔Once an entry payment has been processed, we cannot provide a refund.