Zaynê Akyol

Graduated from the École des médias at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Zaynê Akyol received the award for the most promising documentarist, at the end of her bachelor’s degree, from the René-Malo Chair, in association with the National Film Board of Canada. She also finished a master’s degree with a cinema concentration, basing her research on relational and creative matters in documentary.

Balancing practice with theory, Zaynê directed her first feature-length documentary, Gulîstan, Land of Roses in 2016, which depicts Kurdish women fighters in war against Daesh (the Islamic State). This personal work is noticed by several international festivals, and it collects more than 80 selections, 50 nominations and 12 awards, including the prestigious Doc Alliance Award given at Locarno Film Festival. Zaynê also produced The Guests (2018) and two other documentaries expected in 2023.

Her interest in images and politics has also led her to photography. Her first widely seen exhibition, Rojekê, One Day (2016), tells the story of resistance through females’ faces. The filmmaker offers a second series of photographs anticipated with the release of her second feature documentary Rojek.