Kurdistan Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Iran’s Supreme Court has accepted the death sentence appeal for Iranian Kurdish rapper Saman Seydi Yasin, which was issued in connection with ongoing widespread anti-government protests, the country’s judiciary said Saturday as reported by Reuters.

Two people have been reported killed and four wounded after a shooting near a Kurdish cultural center in Paris, according to reports. Two of those wounded in the shooting are said to be in a critical condition and two others were seriously injured.

Oscar-winning director Asghar Farhadi has demanded the release of actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who was arrested in Iran.

Iranian authorities have arrested Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the country’s best known actresses, after she expressed solidarity with anti-government demonstrators in a social media post.

Eami means “forest” in Ayoreo. It also means “‘”world.” When director Paz Encina traveled to the land of the indigenous Ayoreo-Totobiegosode people, she found that they do not make a distinction between these things: The trees, the animals and the plants that have surrounded them for centuries are all they know and now they live in an area – the Chaco plain – that is experiencing the fastest deforestation on the planet.

Steve Clarke says his Scotland stars have no problem with the heightened security that has seen armoured military vehicles based outside their team hotel in Turkey and armed guards following their movements.

Iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti, who was at the Cannes Film Festival this year with Competition Title Leila’s Brothers, has posted an image of herself on social media without her headscarf in support of ongoing protests in Iran calling more freedom of women.

East and west clash in Rheingold, the latest feature from Fatih Akin, which takes him back to the streets of urban Germany after 2019’s controversial serial-killer drama The Golden Glove. This too, though, is a biopic of sorts, with a similarly notorious subject matter: Kurdish rapper, record label boss and sometime jailbird Giwar Hajabi, AKA Xatar. 

Iranian protesters have demanded "justice" for a woman who was assaulted by anti-riot police, with one officer forcibly grabbing her bottom and then pushing her on the ground.  The video, captured on a security camera at the Argentina Square in Tehran on Wednesday, shows police surrounding the woman. When they start to cart her away, one officer grabs the woman’s bottom before she drops to her knees.  Another woman can be heard saying that the officers were pulling the victim’s hair as she knelt on the ground.  Tehran’s Police Public Relations office has said the incident will be investigated, the BBC reported, but the police provided no statement as to what might have happened.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival. Haghighi was expected to present there the U.K. premiere of his latest film, “Subtraction.”  A BFI London Film Festival spokesperson confirmed the news to Variety and issued the following statement: “The Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi was due to travel to London today to support the UK premiere of his film Subtraction which is screening tomorrow at the BFI London Film Festival, but has been prevented from boarding his flight to the UK.  He was turned away by authorities in Iran and has his passport confiscated.  He has returned to his home in Tehran. We understand that no reason has been given to Mani Haghighi for the confiscation. The BFI London Film Festival supports Haghighi and all filmmakers in their freedom to make their films and present them around the world.

A woman who has been left scarred for life ended up in hospital after a man threw a frying pan at her containing boiling oil. Obaid Mohammad, 18 at the time, from Kurdistan was sharing his accommodation with the woman when some issues arose between them while he was cooking, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Marta Balaga Miniseries “The Adrenalist” has been pre-sold to Denmark’s DR and Iceland’s RÚV. Produced by True Content Production in Norway, and with TV2 already on board, it will be shot in Norway. Currently casting, the show – budgeted at €10.5 million – is expected to gather “top star actors from the Nordic countries,” says producer Renée Hansen Mlodyszewski. “The Adrenalist” will mark a second miniseries for writer and director Pål Sletaune, also behind “22 July,” about the infamous terrorist attack in 2011. Sletaune will once again refer to a true story, this time focusing on Arthur Omre: one of the most successful liquor smugglers in Norwegian history, later on transforming into a successful author. His gangster drama, set in Oslo in the 1920s during prohibition, “is a wild ride about the right man, at the right time, in the right place,” adds Hansen Mlodyszewski.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Award-winning filmmakers Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”), Audrey Diwan (“Happening”), Julia Ducournau (“Titane”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Jacques Audiard (“Dheepan”), and actors Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Lea Seydoux are among nearly 1,000 prominent French film figures who have signed an open letter to support Iranian women and civil rights activists in their revolt over the death of 22 year-old Mahsa Amini, as well as denounce the “murderous violence” of the Iranian regime. Amini, a Kurdish woman, died in custody on Sept. 16, three days after being arrested in Tehran because she allegedly breached the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. Her death has sparked protests across Iran, including in Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd, and in cities around the world, including in Paris, Istanbul and Los Angeles. Amnesty International said Iranian authorities have been “intentionally using lethal force against the protesters,” causing more than more 52 deaths (as of Sept. 30). The organization has urged international action “beyond statements of condemnation” to prevent more people from being killed.

Editors note: The death of Mahsa Amini earlier this month after being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab according to official dictates has sparked outrage and protests within the Islamic Republic and around the world, with Global Day of Action for Iran set for Saturday with rallies around the globe (more information below). Currently seen as one of the stars of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Iran-born actress and Amnesty International UK ambassador Nazanin Boniadi reflects on Amini’s tragic death and the potentially pivotal time for her homeland.

she had suffered “a heart attack.” Eyewitnesses, though, watching the police beat her—which many believe resulted in her falling into a deadly coma.Her family has also confirmed that Mahsa had never suffered from a heart condition previously, with her father, Amjad Amini, alleging that he had been denied the right to see footage of the arrest (“I asked them to show me the body cameras of the security officers, they told me the cameras were out of battery,” he ) as well as being prohibited from seeing Mahsa’s body, which had been wrapped in a sheet when presented to him—although he claimed to have noticed suspicious bruising on her feet.A previous statement from the director general of forensic medicine in Tehran province, however, that there were “no signs of injuries to the head and face, no bruises around the eyes, or fractures at the base of Mahsa Amini’s skull.” Numerous human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have called for further scrutiny, with President Ebrahim Raisi the UN General Assembly that “if her death was due to negligence, it will definitely be investigated.” On the same day, Raisi–who condemned Iranian protestors for their “acts of chaos”–canceled a with Christiane Amanpour after she declined his last-minute request that she wear a headscarf.This content can also be viewed on the site it from.Many in Iran are understandably dubious about claims that Mahsa’s death occurred naturally. Demonstrations began in Kurdistan province on September 17 following Mahsa’s funeral, and rapidly spread across the country with several clips of Iranian citizens publicly going viral.

Naman Ramachandran “Gangs of London” producer Pulse Films has unveiled the first clip from “Name Me Lawand,” which will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. Directed by Edward Lovelace (“The Possibilities Are Endless”), the film is in competition at the festival’s The Grierson Award for documentaries. The documentary, filmed over four years, follows Lawand Hamad Amin, who spent his early years in Iraq unable to hear or communicate. His profound deafness meant he could not learn language, and with no access to a deaf education, Lawand grew isolated and trapped inside himself.

K.J. Yossman Among the world premieres set for the BFI London Film Festival are Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pinocchio” and Emily Blunt series “The English.” Others include “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical,” Asif Kapadia’s ballet-infused “Creature,” family animation “My Father’s Dragon” from Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon and Nora Twomey, Jez Butterworth’s “Mammals,” which stars James Corden and “A Spy Among Friends,” starring Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis. The number of feature-length world premieres at the festival has gone up from 11% to 15% since 2019. This year three of those are Netflix productions: “Pinocchio,” “Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical” and “My Father’s Dragon.”

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorInternational sales company Andana Films has acquired Islamic State documentary “Rojek,” which has its North American premiere in Hot Docs’ Canadian Spectrum section on Saturday.The film, which had its world premiere in the International Competition section at Visions du Réel, will have a theatrical release in Canada through Maison 4:3.In the film, director Zaynê Akyol talks to imprisoned members of the Islamic State, alternating their words with aerial views of the countryside. It is “an unexpected look at a far-reaching current political issue, and a film whose subject matter and rhythm create an impressive cinematic object,” Andana stated.Mariam Zaidi at Hot Docs said: “The Syrian Democratic Forces, mostly Kurdish, as well as the international coalition, have succeeded in dislodging the Islamic State from their last stronghold and ending their project of establishing a caliphate in Syria.

Christopher Vourlias Social media, sexual politics and the struggle of a rebellious young woman to find herself are at the heart of Kurdwin Ayub’s fiction feature debut, “Sonne,” which has its world premiere Feb. 12 in the Berlin Film Festival’s Encounters strand.Set in Vienna, the story begins as three teenage girls in hijabs lip-synch and perform a provocative dance routine to a pop song. A video quickly goes viral, turning the trio into overnight sensations, especially among Kurdish Muslims.But for Yesmin (Melina Benli), the only one of the three with Kurdish roots, the sudden popularity pushes her away from both her friends and her culture.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Golda” director Guy Nattiv has joined the Oscar-shortlisted short film “The Criminals” as executive producer.Written and directed by Serhat Karaaslan, a Kurdish director from Turkey, the film centers on a young couple in a small Turkish town looking for privacy. Shortlisted in the live-action short category for the 2022 awards, the film uses genre to discuss the way an oppressive society pushes its civilians to police each other, ultimately turning sex into a subversive act.“The Criminals” is produced by Laure Dahout through her French production company Tiresias Films.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have arrested lesbian activist Sareh in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran.Warning: This story has details of a lesbian activist’s arrest and might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Twenty-eight-year-old Sareh, was detained for 21 days by the Iraqi Kurdistan police after her interview with BBC

Omar Souleyman has been detained in Turkey and is being held on terrorism charges, according to the Syrian musician’s manager.According to a report from Agence France-Presse, Souleyman’s manager confirmed that the singer was detained due to alleged associations he has with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).The PKK is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States, and has carried out attacks on Turkish soil in recent years.

Syrian musician Omar Souleyman has been arrested on terrorism charges in Turkey, according to a report in The Guardian. The charges relate to what Turkish authorities allege is Souleyman's involvement with the Kurdistan Workers’ party, also known as the PKK.

Will Tizard Contributor“Neighbours,” the story of a Kurdish Syrian border village where Arabic and Jewish families find themselves pitted against each other but still manage to thwart authoritarian madness, is more than a personal story to writer-director Mano Khalil.The feature, shot on authentic locations with accurate dialects from the region and its 1980s setting, is screening in the Camerimage Film Festival director debut section – after a decades-long development process.

Richard Kuipers Education is emancipation in “The Exam,” a potent social drama about a high school student who will be forced into an arranged marriage unless she can pass a series of university entrance exams.

Liza Foreman Claimed by both Iraq and Kurdistan, the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq was the site of an ISIL massacre of the Yazidi people in 2014 that lead to a devastating situation which human rights organizations call genocide. The town gives its name to the latest film from Spanish director Anna M.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentCatalan director Clara Roquet’s teenage female friendship drama “Libertad” and Ferit Karahan’s social drama “Brother’s Keeper,” about Kurdish kids living in fear at a Turkish boarding school, won the best film awards respectively in the international and national competitions at Turkey’s 58th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival which wrapped Saturday.“Libertad,” a first feature that centers on a bond that forms during a summer in Spain’s Costa Brava

Alissa Simon Film CriticSet in 1978, in a Kurdish village high in the mountains, Iranian horror entry “Zalava” pits rational, scientific beliefs against superstition and groupthink, a theme that carries a lot of resonance just now. At the same time, it  sports a sly sense of humor before edging into tragedy.

Antonio Ferme editorMTV Documentary Films has set set July 30 as the theatrical release date for “Sabaya.”The documentary that generated strong reviews at Sundance this year follows the sexual exploitation of women in the Kurdish religious minority group of Yazidi. The title refers to the term used for individuals who are abducted and forced into sexual slavery.