Dream’s Gate

Negin Ahmadi

Iranian Kurdish filmmaker Negin Ahmadi goes embedded with the all-female Kurdish militia YPJ, fighting ISIS in the Syrian civil war. A unique up-close perspective on the devastation of war and the courage and resilience of these women. And also asking a frightening question: is war addictive? 
 
‘Whenever I feel bad in life, I do dangerous things.’ After her divorce, and fascinated by images she saw of young brave Kurdish women in uniforms fighting ISIS, Negin Ahmadi says: ‘I had a great desire to live with them.’ What follows is an very brave and personal account of her time at the war front in Syria, in the midst of the battle against ISIS.  
 
We get to meet a group of incredibly courageous women. 22-year-old Avrin, who was captured and survived on plants and rain water but still managed to film during captivity. Strict commander Nasrin who drives Negin to despair by placing the safety of the women above filming. We see yoga, birthday celebrations, declarations of personal freedom and… talking feet. And raw footage from the battlefield and the devastation in Syrian cities. Among all the camaraderie, thrills and emotions, Negin starts feeling scared of herself. Is she becoming addicted to war? 

Credits

Director
Negin Ahmadi
Producer
Elaheh Nobakht
Year
2023
Country of production
Iran, France, Norway
Type
Documentary
Duration
63 minutes
Spoken language
Kurdish
Subtitles
EN
Production company
Eli Image
World Sales
Visit Films