Kurdish Film Festival Cologne

The Kurdish Film Festival Cologne is a curated platform for films from Kurdistan and the diaspora. The focus is on works that highlight Kurdish perspectives: identity and language, everyday life and humor, exile and memory, repression and self-assertion. We do not view Kurdish cinema as a footnote, but as an independent film culture that emerges under difficult conditions and has a special relevance for public discourse, dialogue, and cultural participation. Our festival offers these films the stage, context, and audience they deserve. Where possible, each screening is accompanied by introductions, Q&As, and in-depth discussions with filmmakers to provide insight into the content, production realities, and artistic decisions.
The festival is both a community event and an open space for the entire urban community. It provides the Kurdish community in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, and beyond with a reliable space where their stories, culture, and languages take center stage, and expressly invites all non-Kurdish citizens to be part of the festival: as an audience, as discussion partners, and as participants in the public formats. Encounters in the foyer, workshops, panels, and informal discussions are an integral part of the program.