The long-awaited series Evîna Kurd (Kurdish Love) premiered on Sunday on Ronahî TV. The 15-episode series, directed by Haşim Aydemir and Numan Yiğit, was produced by the Rojava Film Commune, and speaks about three families whose lives have been changed by the Rojava revolution. As with all the productions of the Rojava Film Commune, the plots are taken from real life: in addition to the Turkish secret service (MIT) and the terrorist militia of the Islamic State, the YPG/YPJ defense forces, the Autonomous Administration and the various ethnic and religious groups in northern and eastern Syria play a role in the series. A prominent place has the role of women in the Rojava Revolution.

The script for Evîna Kurd was written by Ekin Ronî and Adnan Ibrahim. ANF interviewed them.

The Rojava Revolution has made a great contribution to culture and the creation of films and series in Kurdistan. What can you say about this?

Adnan Ibrahim: The Rojava Revolution created a space for freedom and development of Kurdish art and cinema. This is the region of Kurdistan where this work can be done most freely. Filmmakers, musicians, dengbêj [Kurdish troubadours] and Kurdish theater creators from all over the world should therefore turn to Free Rojava: Come create and reflect freely on your works! With the experience and employees of the Rojava Film Commune, it was possible to shoot this 15-episode series called Evîna Kurd. The development of cinema here is a situation that makes us happy and proud.

Ekin Roni: TV series are an important part of people's lives these days. Whoever wants to direct his social policy reaches the public through cinema, which is an important branch of art. Films and series influence people, give them direction and create debate. They are often unrealistic or lost in false realities. However, there are also revolutionary films that contribute to social development. They enlighten society and promote the link with one's own identity. In this way, they can prevent assimilation and promote cultural development. For example, Turkish TV series are a major trend in Turkey, Kurdistan and the whole Middle East. They are translated and dubbed into many languages and broadcast by Arabic and Kurdish TV channels. They popularize and promote the main Turkish culture. Not only are they getting millions of dollars, but they are bringing an ideology and an idea. When I was a kid, there were Brazilian TV series. While our lands were occupied, our villages depopulated and our people murdered, we watched these series and wept for those we did not know. We were far from the reality of our country. It was state policy. These series were produced and watched as part of a cultural genocide.

Revolutionary style of resistance: Art as an act of freedom

When art is manipulated in a revolutionary way and integrated into the resistance, it can lead to very important developments. Art is a language to tell the truth. The more you speak your own truth, the more you can create your own life, lifestyle and culture. This is the basis of our approach to films and television series. Art is an act of freedom. It is also used for other purposes, but in the right hands, it acts as an act of freedom in society and promotes free living. This is how you have to approach art and, in particular, cinema and theater.

We do it in Kurdish, a language that many have tried to destroy. We want to invent our own stories and create our own characters. It is an ideological and intellectual work. Every movie has a message and every message means something. What is the message of Turkish films, especially TV series, to Kurdish people? They say they have to go to Istanbul to live humanely, to leave Kurdistan, to leave their land. This is a big deception. If the Kurds want to live, they should be like the Turks, otherwise there is no life for them.

With the revolution in Rojava, the possibility of language and space was created. For example, I did theater in Turkish for years. When I got to know Kurdistan, the revolution and the liberation movement, I tore the veil of assimilation over me. I do theater in Kurdish and now I write Kurdish screenplays. It is a great revolution. The truth is that I did not know Kurdish. Now I write in Kurdish. Our scripts are brought to the stages, TV screens and the big screen. Thousands of people like me are going back to basics, and we rejoice in reconnecting with our roots. It is an important development for me to be able to create work for my people in the language of my people with this series.

Evîna Kurd premiered on 2 April. How was the screenplay written? Who participated and contributed?

Ekin Roni: The story of the screenplay of Evîna Kurd began like this: the series was created as a film project that wanted to make a cultural contribution to the revolution in Rojava and to complement political and military achievements. When I started writing, I asked myself how can we reach those who are far from us, the Kurdish liberation movement and the revolution? I thought about how the people of Rojava and the people of Kurdistan could find their own life in this series. Then I thought we should show a picture of Rojava. I read all the basic analyses of life written by Abdullah Öcalan in the 1990s. These concepts of work, love, unity, land and freedom were very deep and artistically treated. (…)

Of course, it is quite difficult to do it alone. After all, art is a collective enterprise, a social expression of personal experiences. At the Şehid Yekta Herekol Academy of Arts, we worked with dozens of young people. I got to know the youth of Rojava: those who fell in battle, those who made art, those who left the country… I got to know a lot of people. It was necessary to remember the dead, to revolutionize the artists and to appeal to those who left. The five of us went to work. Finally, we finished the script together. In addition to the two of us, Mizgîn, Ciwan and Hogir also made great efforts from day one.

We designed the story together, the others were in two episodes. Then we went ahead and wrote fifteen chapters. Writing is really not easy. But you can learn and do it. We learned this in practice by simply doing it. A lot of things changed with the script. It started with a draft. We took the advice of our friends, we redesigned it and rewrote it. Onder Cakar, Haşim Aydemir, Hebûn and Andok made very important contributions. As the ideas came, the script took shape. When we started filming, we had written ten episodes, then our script ended in fifteen episodes.

Adnan Ibrahim: In the beginning, we were a group of five people and we discussed the script and the story for about two months. As a result, three of us wrote a story. The discussions we had together merged three stories into one. Then we started writing the chapters. Before completing the second chapter, the invasion of Afrin occurred in 2018. Our whole group went to different regions. We did not meet again until 2022, but there were only two of us then. Despite all these difficulties, we wrote 15 episodes.

What is the theme of the series?

Ekin Roni: It's the story of a big family, a photo of Rojava, of those who want to come, of those who want to leave, families, young people and a bit of history. We are dealing with a people who want to build themselves on the basis of history and its problems of the last century. It is about solving problems and obstacles. There are internal struggles in society and external attacks. The recent history of Syria, the efforts of the regime, ISIS and the Turkish state intervening in Rojava, the ordinary people who are affected, the organization of this society and the awareness of the people and the youth: it is all there. The story of the return of those who live far and loyalty to the country. For me, it was an educational process in which I got to know society and my own personality better. It's a good feeling, you write to yourself by writing. It has its difficulties, but it also enriches you. Easy things do not make a person better.

Adnan Ibrahim: The plot of the series is the story of three brothers and three families who represent society in Rojava. Mihemed, the older brother, works as a farmer. Aziz is always on the hunt for historical treasures and artefacts in treasure maps. Ibrahim left his village at a young age to live in Damascus and married a Palestinian woman. With the start of the revolution, Ibrahim wants to return to Rojava and join the revolution. Aziz, on the other hand, has always wanted to leave Rojava and migrate to Europe. We have described the evolution of the lives of these three brothers in the series. Two aspects of love also appear in the series. False love and true love… In addition to MIT, ISIS and its agents, the YPG/YPJ, cultural and artistic works (…).

How was the filming?

Adnan Ibrahim: There were a lot of difficulties and obstacles in making the series. The Rojava Film Commune brought together its members in the regions of Kobanê, Afrin and Cizîrê and carried out a process of training and exchange. Then the shooting started. The biggest difficulty was that many actors were on camera for the first time. Many episodes were filmed multiple times. Our goal was also education. Although our filming was interrupted by many events such as attacks by the Turkish state, after eight months, filming was complete and editing began.

How was the in cooperation with the Rojava Film Commune in the making of Evîna Kurd?

Ekin Ronî: The Rojava Film Commune has worked a lot and produced important films in recent years. They put a lot of effort and precious time into this last series. We co-wrote the screenplay for one of their films. It was a great pleasure for us. It is very interesting when your thoughts, your dreams and the people you create in your head come to life… I want to thank Haşim and Andok and all the staff. It's a start for the Kurdish people and I'm sure other filmmakers will do even better. I hope our people will enjoy Evîna Kurd.