The Sixth Anti-Terror Film Festival kicks off in Erbil

The 6th Anti-Terror Film Festival kicked off in Erbil, coinciding with the anniversary of the terrorist bombing that hit Erbil in 2004.  

In an exclusive statement to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the festival's president, Beshtwan Abdullah, said that "there is an urgent need to establish specialized festivals in Erbil, including the Film Festival for Terror Films and the Animation Film Festival." 

He added, "This course will be of a high level in terms of attendance and the quality of films shown, because the festival has become well-known at the local, Arab and regional levels, and that this festival is the only one specialized in terrorism films." 

Abdullah stressed that "the festival's message is to reject extremism and terrorist thought and spread peace and coexistence among the components, because cinema is a means with which the audience interacts and through which a humanitarian message can be sent to all." 

For his part, the director of the festival, Ayad Jabbar, said that “the number of guests of the festival reach to 200 from inside and outside Iraq, while the activities of the festival will continue for some days, with the participation of a number of countries, including Syria and Iran, in addition to films from various Iraqi governorates and the Kurdistan region, which number 40 documentaries films, short films and animation films.  

He pointed out that “the number of festival awards is 7 awards presented to the best producer, scriptwriter, director and actor, in addition to the festival award.