TEHRAN – The 20th Sakkes International Kurdish Theater Festival will be held with a focus on the Kurdish language and indigenous customs, organizers announced.
The festival aims to perform works in the Kurdish language and play an important role in strengthening the region’s cultural heritage and traditional rituals, said Hamidreza Khoshbakht, the event’s executive director, ISNA said on Monday.
“A total of 39 works from different cities and countries will be exhibited at this event, of which 25 are from national groups and 14 from Syria, Turkey and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,” he explained.
He went on to explain in detail the preparation process for the event, saying, “Submissions began in July, and after the initial screening, the evaluation by the festival’s judging committee was completed.From among the submitted works, 10 performances were selected for the final screening.”
Khoshbakht emphasized that the festival is held to celebrate Kurdish language and culture, saying, “All performances of the festival will be in Kurdish, with the aim of making a meaningful contribution to the preservation and promotion of Kurdish language and traditions.”
Regarding the selection criteria for the works, he said: “New perspectives, culture and customs, a focus on national unity and solidarity, attention to this year’s slogan centered on participation and investment, and the strengthening of Kurdish literature and language were among the most important evaluation indicators.”
He also announced positive feedback from artists about the upcoming event, saying, “This year we had significantly higher participation than in previous years, and we hope that with the cooperation of artists, the public, and city and state officials, the festival will be even better than ever.”
He also mentioned plans to increase the academic level of the upcoming festival, saying: “Special attention will be paid to script writing, involving experts in Kurdish language and theater, and there are plans to include a children’s and youth section. Although this part will not be held this year, we aim to add it to future festivals.”
The 20th International Kurdish Theater Festival of Saqqes will open on Wednesday in the city of Saqqes, in the western Iranian province of Kordestan, with the participation of domestic and international theater groups.
SAB/