Kurdish Mobile Film Festival showcases cell phone filmmaking

SULAYMANIYAH — The Kurdish Mobile Film Festival launched Monday evening in Sulaymaniyah with 25 short films selected for screening, each shot on a cell phone.

Festival spokesperson Lilian Amir told 964media that more than 100 films were submitted for competition. “Fortunately, this festival is different, and it’s the first time it’s being held in Sulaymaniyah. All participating films were produced using mobile phones. That was the main condition for participation,” she said. Another rule required the films be in Kurdish.

Submissions ranged from one to 15 minutes in length, depending on how directors chose to structure their stories.

The festival is organized by the cinema division of the Sulaymaniyah Directorate General of Culture and Arts in partnership with the Vim Foundation. Thirteen of the selected films were screened on Monday, with the remaining 12 scheduled for Tuesday. Winners will be announced following the final screenings.

“The awards are designed to recognize how this opportunity has been used by young people to express their talents and skills without relying on big budgets or advanced equipment,” Amir said.

The ten award categories include Best Directing, Best Music, Best Male Actor, and Best Female Actor.

Globally, mobile phone filmmaking is gaining recognition, with several Hollywood directors embracing the format. Steven Soderbergh, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, shot two feature films — Unsane and High Flying Bird — entirely on iPhones, citing the flexibility and unobtrusive style the devices offer. As smartphone technology improves, more emerging filmmakers are turning to phones as an accessible tool for storytelling.