Arshia Shakiba

After the impressive Gulistan, Land of Roses (VdR 2016), the Kurdish filmmaker Zaynê Akyol returns with these conversations with imprisoned members of the Islamic State, alternating their words with aerial views of the countryside. An unexpected look at a far-reaching current political issue and a film whose subject matter and rhythm create an impressive cinematic object.

For Nariman the pilot and Helly Luv, an aspiring singer, being Kurdish is not just an identity; it’s a full-time job. Nariman needs young recruits for his flying school—a goal made darkly comic since he just survived a plane crash—while the illustrious Helly collects Kalashnikov rifles and a sea of Kurdish flags to produce her music video. In the midst of another war against the Kurdish people, Nariman reminisces about a long-lost love, and Helly finds herself connecting with Kurdish children at a refugee camp near the Syrian border, who are in urgent need of inspiration and hope.

Delves into the world of makeshift oil refineries and the stark realities of life in war-torn northern Syria,. Mahmood is a prominent figure in these operations, navigating complex working conditions and local dynamics.

Soli is a well known musician and singer who was forced to leave Iran after the revolution in 1979 when pop music got banned by the regime. Soli went through many difficulties in exile, driving a cab for many years in Toronto, yet continuing his work as a musician, finding a new style of mystical and traditional music. The docudrama is a poetic, musical film about exile, mysticism and traditional music.

Master. Gh.Nami is known as one of the most outstanding and important Iranian painters and visual artists who has been living his life in Toronto as an immigrant for the past 10 years. The film is a visual, musical, poetic docudrama.