Selim Yıldız
Directing
Biography
Selim Yıldız was born in 1985, in Bahcesaray District of Van province. He completed his compulsory education in Bahçesaray. Between 2007-2011 he worked as a construction worker while getting his training in documentary and photography at Free University of Istanbul. His works on Kurdish children and Kurdish press have been shown in multiple festivals and received numerous awards. He organized photography workshops with children affected by the 2011 Van Earthquake, struggling to survive in make-shift tent camps. He shot his first documentary,“ 29″, in 2013. His second movie called „I Remember“ was about the Roboskî Massacre. He received the Johan van der Keuken New Talent Award in Documentarist
Known For
Sivan Encü, a young Kurdish man, provided for his family by "smuggling" through the Turkish-Iraqi border. When he was murdered in the 2011 Robozik (Roboski) Massacre, the responsibility of family's welfare was taken over by his younger brother Sinan, who lost his life in an unfortunate accident. This is the story of their grief-stricken mother Heyam and her resilience. Alongside Heyam's struggle, the film brings the voices of Robozik elders and notables to the forefront, who have experienced first-hand the social, political and economic dimensions of smuggling, which has been the backbone of survival for the locals for many generations.
Monologue
The film tells about the experience of Mother Besna who wants to reach her son just like other mothers whose sons are involved in the war that has lasted for many years in Turkey. So, this is a period documentary that describes Mother Besna's struggle for finding her son Enes in her mortally dangerous and trans-border journey.
Dialogue
The people of Roboski, a village on the border of Turkey and Kurdistan, have been living off illegal trade for centuries. They witness massacres and keep losing their relatives and friends. In the end, not many of those capable of smuggling remain. The serenity of the mountains, a herd of donkeys and memories of a man who has seen the Turkish horrors and remembers it all.
Bîra Mi Têtin
In 2013, Selim Yildiz spent 29 days with Kurdish soldiers (PKK) and made his first documentary 29.