First European Union Film Festival in Iraq

Hiwa Foundation, in association with Vinci Interior Design and Architecture, partnered with the European Union diplomatic missions, hosted the 1st EU Film Festival in Sulaimani city, the cultural hub of Kurdistan Region.

The Festival was jointly presented by EU diplomatic missions in Iraq to promote shared values such as mutual tolerance, peaceful coexistence and common understanding.

Through its diversified films, it provided the reflection of the European Union’s strengths and values. This event, the first ever to be organized in Kurdistan, took place in Red Museum (Amna Suraka) over the course of seven days, viewing a variety of European films, showcasing Europe’s cultural diversity as well as presenting the richness and versatility of the film industries of the EU Member States.

This event took place within the framework of the celebration of Europe Day, 14 films were showcased from May 10, 2015 until May 16, 2015. The Festival’s theme, “Dialogue and Reconciliation through Cultural Interaction for a Peaceful Iraq” was an opportunity to discover films selected by the Embassies of the European Union Member States as well as the Delegation of the European Union to Iraq.

The films were from the following European Union Member States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and Romania. All films were viewed with Kurdish subtitles. This event was placed under the High Patronage of H.E. Mr. Khalid Dosky, Minister of Culture and Youth of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and H.E. Mr. Aso Faraidoon, Governor of Sulaimani, Kurdistan Regional Government.

The European Union diplomatic missions and the Film Festival Organizing Committee were particularly honored that the Ministry of Culture and Youth of the Kurdistan Regional Government had kindly consented to the European Union Film Festival taking place in the beautifully renovated Yilmaz Güney Auditorium of Amna Suraka, the Red Security Museum of Sulaimani.