Kurdish cinema will receive a dedicated showcase at the Portobello Film Festival in London on Monday, with 17 Kurdish films to be screened as part of a special evening organized in partnership with the Birmingham Kurdish Film Festival.

The event, held at the Moze Gallery in London, is being described by organizers as a significant step toward raising the international profile of Kurdish cinema and giving Kurdish filmmakers a dedicated platform at international film festivals.

Star Chamangul, a member of the Birmingham Kurdish Film Festival’s organizing committee, told Kurdistan 24 that Kurdish films had previously appeared at the Portobello Film Festival only within the Iranian film section.

“In previous years, only two Kurdish films participated in the festival within the Iranian film section, but this time, with the dedication of a special evening, 17 Kurdish films are being screened under their own name and within an independent programme,” Chamangul said.

She described the initiative as an important development for promoting Kurdish cinema and introducing Kurdish filmmakers and their work to audiences outside Kurdistan.

According to Chamangul, the films featured in the London programme were previously screened during the first edition of the Birmingham Kurdish Film Festival.

The programme includes a range of Kurdish productions, among them Pain, directed by Burhan Ahmadi and Leyla Baghbani; Lemon Knows Everything, directed by Idris Mahmoudi; Son, directed by Saman Hosseinpour; Mori, directed by Yaqut Tekintangash; Body, directed by Ashkan Ahmadi; A Dance for Freedom, directed by Salem Salawati; Manly, directed by Adib Faridun; and Anita Is Lost in the News, directed by Behzad Nalbandi.

Other films scheduled for screening are Without Reference, directed by Hivar Omar; Sweet Border, directed by Hadi Ahmadi; 30 Years One Night, directed by Mohammed Ismail; Descent, directed by Ashkan Saadpana; The Unheard Things, directed by Ramazan Kilic; A Crazy Connection, directed by Raz Kamaran; One Hour Remaining, directed by Zaniar Kakakhani; Nietzsche's Suicide, directed by Peyman Kurdistani; and Songs of the Plain, directed by Gita Faizi.

Chamangul also expressed hope that the partnership between the two festivals will continue in the coming years and that the Kurdish cinema evening will become an annual feature of the Portobello Film Festival, following similar programmes dedicated to Russian and Iranian cinema.