15th KURDISH FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN opens with “The Virgin and Child” by director Berivan BinevsaDas 15. KURDISCHES FILMFESTIVAL BERLIN eröffnet mit „The Virgin and Child“ von Regisseurin Berivan Binevsa15th KURDISH FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN opens with “The Virgin and Child” by director Berivan Binevsa
Berlin, September 4, 2025 – The 15th Kurdish Film Festival Berlin (September 25 to October 1, 2025) will open with the award-winning film “The Virgin and Child” by director Berivan Binevsa.
The film premiered at the Ostend Film Festival and won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actress at the Duhok Film Festival, Cinémed (France), and the Kurdish Film Festival in Düsseldorf.
Director Berivan Binevsa and lead actress Hêvîn Tekin will be present at the opening.
“The Virgin and Child” tells the powerful story of Avesta, a young Yazidi woman and ISIS survivor, who seeks justice in Brussels while confronting her past and an unwanted motherhood.
“We chose ‘The Virgin and Child’ as our opening film because it beautifully represents this year’s festival theme: ‘Tolerance and Coexistence of Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Kurdistan.’ For thousands of years, Kurds have lived side by side with Assyrians, Armenians, Arabs, and Turks of various faiths such as Yazidism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We want to shed light on this shared heritage and look forward to the films and discussions during the festival,” says Festival Director Nubar Hamamci.
As always, the festival will take place at Babylon Cinema at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz – our long-standing festival venue in the heart of Berlin.
Special thanks to the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and the Goethe-Institut Erbil for their support.
Berlin, den 04. September 2025 – Das 15. Kurdische Filmfestival Berlin (25. September bis 1. Oktober 2025) eröffnet mit dem preisgekrönten Film „The Virgin and Child“ von Regisseurin Berivan Binevsa.
Der Film wurde beim Filmfestival in Ostende uraufgeführt und gewann die Preise für das beste Drehbuch und die beste Darstellerin in Duhok, Cinémed (Frankreich) und beim Kurdischen Filmfestival in Düsseldorf.
Regisseurin Berivan Binevsa und die Hauptdarstellerin Hêvîn Tekin werden zur Eröffnung anwesend sein.
„The Virgin and Child“ erzählt die beeindruckende Geschichte von Avesta, einer jungen Jesidin und Überlebenden des IS, die in Brüssel Gerechtigkeit sucht, während sie sich ihrer Vergangenheit und einer ungewollten Mutterschaft stellt.
„Wir haben ‘The Virgin and Child’ als Eröffnungsfilm ausgewählt, weil er wunderbar unseren diesjährigen Themenschwerpunkt ‘Toleranz und Zusammenleben ethnischer und religiöser Minderheiten in Kurdistan’ repräsentiert. Seit Jahrtausenden leben in Kurdistan Kurd:innen gemeinsam mit Assyrer:innen, Armenier:innen, Araber:innen und Türk:innen verschiedener Religionen wie Jesidentum, Judentum, Christentum und Islam. Wir wollen die Gemeinsamkeit beleuchten und freuen uns auf die Filme und Gespräche während des Festivals“, so Festivalleiterin Nubar Hamamci.
Wie gewohnt findet das Festival im Kino Babylon am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz statt – unserem festen Festivalort im Herzen Berlins.
Danke für die Unterstützung der Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt Berlin und dem Goethe-Institut Erbil.
Berlin, September 4, 2025 – The 15th Kurdish Film Festival Berlin (September 25 to October 1, 2025) will open with the award-winning film “The Virgin and Child” by director Berivan Binevsa.
The film premiered at the Ostend Film Festival and won awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actress at the Duhok Film Festival, Cinémed (France), and the Kurdish Film Festival in Düsseldorf.
Director Berivan Binevsa and lead actress Hêvîn Tekin will be present at the opening.
“The Virgin and Child” tells the powerful story of Avesta, a young Yazidi woman and ISIS survivor, who seeks justice in Brussels while confronting her past and an unwanted motherhood.
“We chose ‘The Virgin and Child’ as our opening film because it beautifully represents this year’s festival theme: ‘Tolerance and Coexistence of Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Kurdistan.’ For thousands of years, Kurds have lived side by side with Assyrians, Armenians, Arabs, and Turks of various faiths such as Yazidism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We want to shed light on this shared heritage and look forward to the films and discussions during the festival,” says Festival Director Nubar Hamamci.
As always, the festival will take place at Babylon Cinema at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz – our long-standing festival venue in the heart of Berlin.
Special thanks to the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and the Goethe-Institut Erbil for their support.