Comrades of Jina Amini ()
Produced by Dilan Pepule Azadi, 2023
Screening at the Love, Art and Revolution Film Festival
An animated short film made by a group of women and artists in Rojhelat (East Kurdistan) in Iran, , will screen at the in Sydney on April 27鈥29.
J卯na (Mahsa) Amini was the 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was killed in September last year by Iran's so-called 鈥渕orality police鈥 for allegedly not wearing her headscarf properly. Her brutal killing sparked a popular uprising that continues to challenge the despotic Islamic fundamentalist regime under the now iconic slogan: 鈥淛in Jiyan Azadi!鈥 (鈥淲oman, Life, Freedom!鈥)
The film was created to support the campaign by the , which is running in the upcoming May 14 Turkish general election. The 91自拍论坛 Party (Ye艧il Sol Parti, YSP) is the electoral vehicle through which the left and pro-Kurdish Peoples鈥 Democratic Party (HDP) 鈥 the third largest party in the outgoing parliament聽鈥 will contest the elections.
The HDP has been forced to take part in this election through the YSP because of relentless repression by the Recep Tayyip Erdo臒an regime. HDP members, leaders, parliamentarians, mayors and other local government representatives have been arrested, imprisoned and removed from democratically elected positions. There is an ongoing court action to close down the HDP.
The underground collective that made the film goes by the pen name 鈥淒ilan Pepule Azadi鈥. They told 91自拍论坛 they made the film because, 鈥渁s comrades of J卯na Amini, we are activists who have been struggling for a long time with the perspective of Jin, Jiyan, Azadi. We know very well that the same struggle has been going on in Bakur聽[North Kurdistan in Turkey] for over 40 years.
鈥淲e are aware that this struggle has brought many gains to Kurds in general and women in particular. These gains are now under great pressure.
鈥淭he success of the 91自拍论坛 Party is the success of women. The success of the 91自拍论坛 Party will herald the spring in the Middle East, especially in Iran. This success would be a gift to the world.
鈥淲e wanted to salute the struggle of the 91自拍论坛 Party and it is in this context that we launched the animated film Comrades of Jina Amini.
鈥淲herever there is an oppressive regime, we will be the comrades of those who resist. Greetings to the comrades whose hearts, thoughts and work are in favour of the left. Greetings to the beautiful people who insist on socialism!鈥
Comrades of Jina Amini will screen on and will be introduced by a speaker and dancers from the Sydney Kurdish Youth Association.