Our Documentaries

Opening hearts through stories.

Sexualized violence was used as a weapon of war in Iraq in 2014, neither for the first nor the last time. This type of systematic persecution and destruction of ethno-religious minorities has been used in historical as well as contemporary conflicts on all continents. In order to advance the reconstruction of post-conflict regions, combating the root causes of flight and developing safe zones for survivors, education and awareness-raising work is needed. The two documentaries “HÁWAR — My Journey to Genocide“ and “JIYAN —The Forgotten Victims of ISIS“ are aimed primarily at political decision-makers and development policy actors, but also at young people at schools and universities, as well as at broad sections of European and international society. The crucial role of women as agents of change in development cooperation is made visible in both documentaries. The genocide of the Yazidis and the terrible suffering of the women who were sold, enslaved and sexually abused serves as a case study within these films and is representative of the experiences of many affected women and minorities worldwide.

On August 3, 2024, it will be 10 years since the terrorist militia ‘Islamic State’ committed genocide against the ethnic-religious Yazidi community. ‘BÊMAL – Where is our Yazidi Home? 10 years of genocide against the Yazidis’, the new documentary film by journalist and human rights activist Düzen Tekkal and filmmaker David Körzdörfer, follows Yazidis who survived this crime against humanity and who have (initially) found a new home in Germany. Four pairs of siblings; Layla and Tahsin, Jihan and Sawsan, Jana and Bascal, and Aiham and Anas, give us an insight into the aftermath of the genocide and the reality of life for those seeking protection in Germany and those left behind in Iraq.