For the second year in Sulaymaniyah, the second city and cultural
center of the Kurdistan Region, hosted the European Union Film
Festival (May 15 to 20) sponsored and presented by the European Union
Diplomatic missions in Iraq and by the Embassies and Consulates of the
Member States in partnership with Vinci, Kurdish leader in interior
design and architecture.
The Festival took place in the framework of the celebrations of Europe
Day (May 9, the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration), the day when
is celebrate peace and unity in Europe, to celebrate the best European
film in support of the civil Kurdish society.
Dialogue and reconciliation through cultural interaction for a
peaceful Iraq, is the theme that accompanied the screening of 15
European films during the six days, which have shown cultural
diversity as well as present the richness of film industries in Italy,
France, Germany, Poland, Austria, to name some of the participating
countries.
The festival, which in the first edition saw the presence of Nechirwan
Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, had the
aim to promote shared values such as mutual tolerance, peaceful
coexistence and common understanding. This year the festival will also
screen a selection of short Kurdish films by some of Kurdistan's up
and coming directors.
The inaugural reception took place last May 14th at the Grand
Millennium Hotel in Sulaymaniyah at the presence of Amb. Patrick
Simonnet, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of
Iraq, the Consul General of the Kingdom of Netherlands in the
Kurdistan Region, Mr. John Van Der Zande and Mrs. Alessandra Di Pippo,
Italian Consul General in Erbil, as well as the High Representative to
Italy and to the Holy See, Mrs. Rezan Kader, who was in Kurdistan with
the Italian Minister of Defense Roberta Pinotti during her official
visit in the Region.
