by Kurdish Women’s Movement / Press Release
The world premiere of the film Blooming in the Desert will take place on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 3:00 PM EST. The film will be available to the public on the Kurdish Women’s Movement social media pages. of Blooming in the Desert followed by a Q & A with Director Benedetta Argentieri, Arin Hêlîn and Khabat Abbasy.
The following is a description of the film Blooming in the Desert which goes to the heart of the Rojava Revolution.
After the defeat of the so-called Islamic State in Syria, Raqqa was born again. Though this time women are leading the change and are building a new future for the city – the same city that was known all over the world for being the “capital” of ISIS where violence and atrocities were committed on a daily basis.
Raqqa is way more than this. For centuries, it has been a very important crossroad in Syria, and is now being re-born in the context of the democratic revolution in North and Eastern Syria.
Blooming in the Desert is a short documentary which talks about this change. The film follows three women who never before thought they could ever be involved in building a new society and in political organizing. Before the rise of ISIS the Ba’ath regime had excluded women from public life in much the same manner as the caliphate. Now Maryam leads the “Women’s administration office,” Awaft works in the municipality, while Hind is a singer and a musician in a band!
Why now?
In the context of the 25th of November, the “Day for Eliminating Violence against Women,” we want to present this documentary about the stories of three women survivors of war and fundamentalism in the city of Raqqa. Raqqa has witnessed profound political, social and cultural changes in recent years. Conquered and subdued by the Islamic Caliphate in 2013, the people of Raqqa lived under the violence and control of the Islamic State. The city was finally liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces in 2017. This is the story of three women who have lived through the Ba’ath regime, the rise and fall of the Islamic Caliphate, and who now put all their hopes and energies into building a democratic alternative to war and fundamentalism.
Please come along and join us for what promises to be an inspiring night of discussion and information!
Jin, Jiyan, Azadî!
We will stream both the film and Q&A live on social media. The link will be posted here.
