10th New York Kurdish Film Festival Celebrates a Decade of Kurdish Cinema in New York City
NEW YORK, NY / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 04, 2026 / NYKFF10 returns to Village East by Angelika September 29-October 4 under the theme “Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema,” with the Kurdish Cinema Residency Program beginning September 25
The New York Kurdish Film Festival (NYKFF) will celebrate its landmark 10th edition September 29 through October 4, 2026, at Village East by Angelika Theatre in Manhattan, marking a decade of presenting Kurdish films, filmmakers, stories, and culture to audiences in New York City.
Presented by the New York Kurdish Cultural Center (NYKCC), NYKFF10 will bring six days of Kurdish cinema and cultural programming to New York under the theme “Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema.”
The milestone edition will bring together filmmakers, artists, writers, members of the Kurdish diaspora, New York audiences, and international guests for film screenings, filmmaker conversations, panel discussions, and cultural events. The festival will feature works representing the diversity of Kurdish experiences and voices from across Kurdistan and the global diaspora.
“Ten editions of the New York Kurdish Film Festival demonstrate the power of cinema to connect people across geography, language, and generations,” said Xeyal Qertel, founder and co-director of the New York Kurdish Film Festival and founder and president of the New York Kurdish Cultural Center. “New York is a city where cultures from around the world meet. For ten years, we have created a place here for Kurdish filmmakers to tell their stories, for audiences to discover Kurdish cinema, and for our community to come together through art.”
Six Days of Kurdish Cinema
NYKFF10 continues a tradition that began with the festival's first edition in 2017. The festival has developed into a New York platform for Kurdish filmmakers and films that explore culture, identity, family, history, displacement, conflict, memory, humor, resilience, and everyday life.
The 2026 festival will present films across multiple forms and genres, including feature and short fiction, feature and short documentaries, animation, experimental film, student films, and mobile-phone films.
Filmmaker discussions and audience Q&As will give attendees opportunities to hear directly from the people behind the films. Panels and cultural conversations will expand the program beyond individual screenings and examine Kurdish cinema, storytelling, identity, artistic expression, and the future of the Kurdish film industry.
NYKFF10 will also recognize the contributions of legendary Kurdish filmmaker Yılmaz Güney to Kurdish cinema. A special Jina Amini Day will honor female filmmakers and highlight women's contributions to Kurdish storytelling and cinema.
Among the authors invited to participate in this year’s festival is Şener Özmen, adding a literary voice to NYKFF10's broader conversations about Kurdish art, culture, and storytelling.
Opening Night Brings Kurdish Cinema and Culture Together
NYKFF10 will open on Tuesday, September 29, at Village East by Angelika Theatre with an opening-night reception bringing filmmakers, artists, supporters, members of New York's Kurdish community, invited guests, media, and festival audiences together.
The reception will include a sampling of Kurdish food provided by Akdeniz Restaurant, continuing the festival's tradition of pairing cinema with Kurdish culture and hospitality.
The opening film and additional opening-night programming will be announced with the complete festival schedule.
Kurdish Cinema Residency Program Begins September 25
NYKFF10 will be preceded by the Kurdish Cinema Residency Program, September 25-30, 2026, an initiative of the New York Kurdish Cultural Center designed to deepen professional and intellectual engagement with Kurdish cinema.
The program is NYKCC’s first residency program on Kurdish cinema in New York City and will bring participants together for lectures and workshops led by experts in the thinking, making, and distribution of Kurdish films.
The residency opens September 25 with “The Art of Story Seeking,” presented by İlisa Barbash, Curator of Visual Anthropology at Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Sessions will continue through September 30 and examine Kurdish storytelling, memory, documentation, economics, and the politics of the Kurdish film industry.
The final two days of the Residency Program overlap with the opening of NYKFF10, creating a direct connection between the study and development of Kurdish cinema and the films and filmmakers presented to New York audiences.
The residency program will be held in a hybrid mode and is now accepting applications for virtual participants. Applicants should submit a résumé and motivation letter to info@nykcc.org by September 10, 2026.
Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema
The theme of NYKFF10, “Woven Across Borders, United Through Cinema,” reflects the festival’s role in connecting Kurdish filmmakers and communities whose experiences cross national borders while sharing cultural, historical, and artistic ties.
Cinema provides a common space for those stories. NYKFF brings them to New York, where Kurdish filmmakers can engage audiences from many backgrounds and where people who may have little previous exposure to Kurdish culture can encounter it through film.
The 10th edition will celebrate the festival’s first decade while looking toward its future, with the Residency Program creating another avenue for filmmakers and thinkers to exchange ideas, develop their craft, and strengthen Kurdish cinema.
NYKFF10 at a Glance
10th New York Kurdish Film Festival
September 29-October 4, 2026
Village East by Angelika Theatre
181-189 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
Tickets: https://filmfreeway.com/NYKFF/tickets
Tickets for NYKFF10 are now on sale.
The complete film lineup, screening schedule, filmmaker appearances, panels, special events, and additional guests will be announced ahead of the festival.
Who We Are
The New York Kurdish Cultural Center (NYKCC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting and preserving Kurdish culture and heritage. Through film, literature, language, educational programs, cultural events, and initiatives including the New York Kurdish Film Festival, NYKCC creates opportunities for Kurdish artists and communities while introducing broader audiences to the richness and diversity of Kurdish culture.
Media Contact
Media interested in covering NYKFF10, interviewing participating filmmakers and guests, or attending the Kurdish Cinema Residency Program should contact us at info@nykcc.org
Contacts