The 16th Berlin Kurdish Film Festival focuses on Kurdish history in the Soviet Union

From September 25 to October 1, 2026, the Kurdish Film Festival Berlin will welcome audiences to its 16th edition at Babylon Cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. For many years, the festival has served as a platform for Kurdish filmmaking and cultural exchange, and in 2026 it will once again present a diverse international program. This year’s thematic focus, “Kurds in the Soviet Union – Between Memory, Identity, Deportation, and Renewal,” explores cinematic perspectives on history, migration, cultural memory, and social transformation. The festival will screen feature films, documentaries, and short films that bring together a wide range of voices and experiences from the Kurdish diaspora and the regions of origin. The film program will be accompanied by an extensive supporting program including readings, exhibitions, audiovisual installations, and documentary contributions that deepen the festival’s thematic focus while creating space for encounters and discussion. The festival venue will once again be Babylon Cinema at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, which has served as the festival’s central location for many years. The 16th Kurdish Film Festival Berlin is supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion, as well as Sprachenatelier Berlin and the Goethe-Institut Erbil.