Gulîstan, terre de roses

Directed by Zaynê Akyol

Canada, 2016 (documentary, 86 minutes, colour, Kurdish)

Also known as "Gulîstan, Land of Roses"

Video (National Film Board of Canada)
Video (National Film Board of Canada) [French]

Film Description:
"In the mountains and deserts of Kurdistan, female PKK guerillas are fighting Daesh (the Islamic State). In this startling and intimate and immersive documentary, these revolutionary women invite us into their daily lives, speak frankly about their ideals and share reflections on their world."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Written by:	Zaynê Akyol
Produced by:	Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew, Yanick Létourneau, Mehmet Aktas, Nathalie Cloutier, Denis McCready, Colette Loumède
Cinematography:	Étienne Roussy
Film Editing:	Mathieu Bouchard-Malo
Music:	Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux
Production Company:	Périphéria Productions, Mitosfilm, Office national du film du Canada / National Film Board of Canada

(sources)

Award won by Gulîstan, terre de roses

Prix Iris [Iris Award]: Meilleure direction de la photographie, film documentaire [best cinematography, documentary film] -- awarded to Étienne Roussy

Notes about Gulîstan, terre de roses

Shown at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2016.

(sources)

Quote by the Director

"I was born in Turkey, but I'm of Kurdish origin, and the Kurdish guerrillas used to come and visit us in my home village. The PKK fighters had been part of my environment from a very young age. Then, after immigrating to Canada, I met Gulîstan, who was 15 years older than me, but her story was similar to mine. [...] One day, she disappeared from my life and went to enlist in the PKK. At the time, I didn't really understand the significance of her act, but the more time passed, the more I sensed the gravity of it. That's why at first I wanted to make a film about Gulîstan, who died in 2000, by retracing her journey and motives. However, just as I arrived in Iraqi Kurdistan, Daesh (Islamic State) began attacking the region. The subject of my film now had to be these PKK women guerillas. And I think that a part of Gulîstan is inevitably there. Gulîstan means 'Land of Roses.'"
-- Zaynê Akyol (source)

Bibliography for Gulîstan, terre de roses

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

Melton, Siân. "Hot Docs 2016 Women Directors: Meet Zaynê Akyol - 'Gulîstan, Land of Roses'." Interview with Zaynê Akyol. Women and Hollywood, May 2, 2016.

Web Sites about Gulîstan, terre de roses

National Film Board of Canada. "NFB -- Gulîstan, Land of Roses." National Film Board of Canada. http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=64010.
Office national du film du Canada. "ONF -- Gulîstan, terre de roses." Office national du film du Canada. http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/fr/notre-collection/?idfilm=61554. [in French]