Restless StonesRestless Stones

Ellen Vermeulen revisits phone footage from 2015 and later recordings to examine violence and trauma after Kurdish autonomy was declared in Northern Kurdistan.

In October 2015, the PKK and insurgent youth declared autonomy in major cities of Northern Kurdistan. The Turkish army responded with severe military repression, leading to months of deadly urban combat. Ten years later, Ellen Vermeulen revisits raw handheld footage she recorded with her phone in 2015 during the conflict. These images are combined with recordings of local residents and young Kurdish rebels. The film looks at the iconography of the conflict, including street riots, funeral processions and portraits of war martyrs. It considers how young men and women come to view martyrdom as an attractive option, and how violence continues to affect people's lives years later.

Story written by Evenitto from TMDB and the cinemas' notes