The Yazidis isolated homeland in the mountains of Shengal has faced more than 74 massacres throughout its history, the most heinous of which were carried out by ISIS in 2014. Love in the Face of Genocide explores the impact of suffering, religion and cultural difference on the songs of love in Shengal, and documents how the Yazidis maintain their heritage and tell their stories of love and sorrow through their survival song.
The Dengbêj are Kurdish poets and bards; singing storytellers who pass from generation to generation tales that would have otherwise been lost in time. Commonly singing without any musical accompaniment, the songs encompass a variety of profound themes including love, war, family, lullabies, journeys, and other experiences. Thus, the historically persecuted Yazidi Kurds maintain this medium of communication and artistic heritage in a bid to document their stories for generations to come.
Original Title: Evîn Di Rûyê Qirkirinê De
International Title: Love in the Face of Genocide
Director: Sêro Hindî (Shero Hinde)
Duration: 52’
Original Language: Kurdish
Gender: Documentary
Production Country and Year: Northern and Eastern Syria Federation-Rojava, 2021
Production: Rojava Film Commune, Nadiya Derwish
Director of Photography: Hogir Qolan
Editing: Eli Feqe
Music: Mehmud Berazi
The Director
Sêro Hindî (Qamishlo, 1983) is a director, actor, scriptwriter and teacher from Qamishlo, Syria. He makes short and feature-length documentaries based on the culture and lyrical heritage of the present-day surroundings of ancient Mesopotamia and is one of the founders of Komina Film a Rojava (Rojava Film Commune).
Filmography
- Who Knows Who I am? – 25’ – 2010
- Maco is cold – 8’ – 2014
- Çîroka bajarên wêrankirî (Stories of Destroyed Cities) – 50’ – 2016
- The Bad Knife – 50’ – 2016
- Darên bi tenê (The Lonely Tree) – 42’ – 2017
Original Soundtrack:
https://soundcloud.com/mehmudberazi/sets/love-in-the-face-of-genocide
Interviews and articles
