Turkish Culture Ministry rules Kurdish film 'not suitable' for release

Duvar English

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry has not given a commercial circulation license for the Kurdish film “Rojbash,” which tells the story of Kurdish actors reuniting after 25 years. 

The Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA) filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the decision. The film's director, Özkan Küçük, stated, "We will seek our right to bring our film to theaters in the courtroom."

"Rojbash" is the result of Küçük's six years of effort and tells the story of a group of Kurdish actors reuniting to perform their Kurdish play, "Rojbash," after 25 years, while facing various challenges. The film is predominantly in Kurdish, and the actors portray themselves. The film highlights how repression against the Kurdish language has not changed over the years.

Küçük, the producer and screenwriter, criticized the Culture Ministry's ban in a statement to MLSA. He said the film reflects not only the changing friendships and political atmosphere of the country but also the things that have remained unchanged. He added that the film provides a snapshot of the struggles Kurdish theater has faced from the 1990s to today.

Attorney Veysel Ok, director of MLSA's Legal Unit, who took the case to court, argued that the ministry's decision is part of the broader repression against the Kurdish language and culture. Ok pointed out that the film was rejected without any reason, and it was reviewed without a translator, stressing that the real reason for the ban was the film’s use of Kurdish.