Gültan Kışanak

Girls' War

As the forces of ISIS and Assad tear through villages and society in Syria and Northern Iraq, a group of brave and idealistic women are taking up arms against them—and winning inspiring victories. Members of “The Free Women’s Party” come from Paris, Turkish Kurdistan, and other parts of the world. Their dream: To create a Democratic Syria, and a society based on gender equality. Guns in hand, these women are carrying on a movement with roots that run 40 years deep in the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey. GIRL’S WAR honors the legacy of Sakine Cansiz, co-founder of the PKK who was assassinated in Paris in 2013, and reflects on the sacrifices made by all of the women in the movement, who have endured jail, rape, war, and persecution in their quest to liberate their lives and sisters from male dominance. With scenes of solidarity, strength, and love amongst these brave women soldiers, GIRL'S WAR is a surprising story of Middle Eastern feminism on the front lines.

Öcalan and the Kurdish Question

Kurdistan, partitioned between Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria, could play a major role in a torn Middle East. But who are the Kurds? What influence do they have? Who exactly is Abdullah Öcalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party? An enlightening investigation by Luis Miranda.

Hêvî

Tearing Walls Down

Peoples' Democratic Party(HDP), which had been founded under the leadership and with initiation of the Kurdish political movement, entered the parliament with a landslide election victory. HDP won many city and district municipalities in Kurdistan and has become a great hope for communities and peoples of Turkey. After the peace process came to an end, many lawsuits were filed against HDP and its MPs within the framework of a lawsuit for closing and banning HDP. Hundreds of politicians were arrested and sent to prison, including Figen Yuksekdag, the former co-chair of HDP, Gultan Kisanak, the co-mayor of Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality, and Aysel Tugluk, HDP MP. Furthermore, many were forced to go abroad and started to live in exile. Aysel Tugluk got dementia while she was in prison and it was only after the protests that she was released. In this documentary, the first-degree relatives of Figen, Gultan and Aysel tell the process of going to and coming from the prison.