Êzîdî Films + Documentaries: Verified Overview

Status: 2026-06-11 · ezdixan.de Wiki Editorial note: This list was completely re-verified on 2026-06-11. Every entry is documented via IMDb, festival databases, distribution or press sources (one link per entry). Entries without a verifiable source were removed without replacement, better shorter and true. Taboo note: No reputable production shows inner Lalîş rituals (Sirr). If a source claims to → question it critically.

Table of Contents

• A. Feature Films (Fiction)
• B. Documentaries (Long-Form)
• C. TV Reports + Freely Available Online Documentaries
• D. VR / Immersive Formats
• E. Short Films
• F. Directors with Verified Êzîdî Works
• G. Sources + Databases
• H. Viewing Recommendations

A. Feature Films (Fiction)

A.1 „Reseba: The Dark Wind" / „Der dunkle Wind"

• Director: Hussein Hassan (Kurdish director, Duhok)
• Year / Country: 2016 · Iraq / Germany / Qatar
• Language: Kurmancî, Arabic
• Plot: The first feature film about the Şingal genocide of 3 August 2014. The engaged couple Reko and Pero are preparing their wedding when ISIS attacks the village; Pero is abducted and enslaved. After her liberation, both struggle with trauma and family expectations. Based on the true story of an Êzîdî woman who was enslaved in 2014 and found by her fiancé in Syria.
• IMDb: tt5749748, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5749748/
• Festivals (documented): World premiere as opening film of Duhok IFF 2016 · Closing film of Busan IFF 2016 · UNESCO Award (Asia Pacific Screen Awards) · Muhr Award (Dubai IFF 2016) · FIPRESCI Prize (Dhaka IFF 2017)
• Press: Variety review, https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-dark-wind-review-1201947623/
• Content warning: Sexual violence implied, not shown.

A.2 „Les Filles du Soleil" / „Girls of the Sun"

• Director: Eva Husson
• Year / Country: 2018 · France
• Language: French, Kurmancî, English
• Runtime: 115 min
• Lead cast: Golshifteh Farahani (Bahar), Emmanuelle Bercot, Zübeyde Bulut
• Plot: Bahar, an Êzîdî lawyer, is abducted by ISIS, escapes and leads a women’s battalion seeking to retake her town. Fiction, inspired by real Kurdish-Êzîdî women’s units.
• IMDb: tt6704880, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6704880/
• Premiere: Cannes 2018, In Competition, https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/les-filles-du-soleil/
• Critical reception: mixed (among others The Guardian and Cahiers du Cinéma were critical of its stylisation)

A.3 „Haus ohne Dach" / „House Without Roof"

• Director: Soleen Yusef (born 1987 in Duhok, raised in Berlin; her family belongs to the Êzîdî minority)
• Year / Country: 2016 · Germany / Iraq (Kurdistan Region)
• Language: German, Kurmancî
• Plot: Three siblings raised in Germany travel to their home region to bury their mother next to their father, against the will of the extended family. Themes: diaspora identity, exile, family bonds.
• IMDb: tt5970290, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5970290/
• Premiere/Awards (documented): Premiere at Filmfest München 28 June 2016 · Special Grand Prix of the Jury, Montreal World Film Festival 2016 · Osnabrück Peace Film Award 2016 · German theatrical release 31 August 2017
• Sources: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haus_ohne_Dach_(Film) · https://www.filmportal.de/en/person/soleen-yusef_a21605fcb200b784e040007f010041a6

A.4 „Sinjar"

• Director: Anna M. Bofarull
• Year / Country: 2022 · Spain
• Plot: Three women’s fates around the ISIS terror, among them the enslaved Êzîdî woman Hadia. The Êzîdî actress Eman Eido, who herself survived four years of ISIS captivity, plays one of the lead roles.
• IMDb: tt12985342, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12985342/
• Premiere: Festival de Málaga 2022, Review: https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/sinjar-malaga-review/5168962.article
• Press: Variety feature, https://variety.com/2021/film/features/sinjar-film-anna-borfarull-isis-iraq-1235093763/

B. Documentaries (Long-Form)

B.1 „Sabaya" (2021)

• Director: Hogir Hirori (Kurdish-Swedish director, born in Duhok)
• Year / Country: 2021 · Sweden
• Language: Arabic, Kurmancî
• Content: Follows volunteers of the „Yazidi Home Center" who rescue abducted Êzîdî women and girls from the Al-Hol camp (north-east Syria). Shot with a handheld camera, gripping and harrowing.
• IMDb: tt13567374, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13567374/
• Awards (documented): Sundance 2021, World Cinema Documentary Directing Award · World sales/VOD: Dogwoof (https://variety.com/2020/film/global/sundance-sabaya-documentary-dogwoof-1234859040/)
• Context: After the premiere there was a publicly waged debate about the informed consent of some of the filmed survivors; plan accompanying context for educational screenings.
• Content warning: Not for children; trigger potential for survivors.

B.2 „On Her Shoulders" (2018)

• Director: Alexandria Bombach (USA)
• Year / Country: 2018 · USA
• Runtime: approx. 95 min
• Content: Portrait of Nadia Murad in the year before the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize: UN appearances, advocacy work, diaspora encounters, and the exhaustion of having to retell her own genocide story over and over again. Deliberately without re-enactments and sensational images; very trauma-sensitive.
• IMDb: tt7689484, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7689484/
• Awards (documented): Sundance 2018, Directing Award U.S. Documentary
• Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Shoulders · https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/on-her-shoulders-2018

B.3 „Háwar: Meine Reise in den Genozid" (2015)

• Director: Düzen Tekkal (German-Êzîdî journalist, founder of HÁWAR.help)
• Year / Country: 2015 · Germany
• Content: In 2014 Tekkal travels with her father Seyhmus to the Êzîdî settlement areas in northern Iraq, planned as a journey to her roots, it became a testimony of the genocide. „Háwar" = Kurmancî for „cry for help".
• Premiere (documented): Internationale Hofer Filmtage 2015; screened among others before the UN, the German Bundestag and the EU Parliament
• Sources: https://www.hawar.help/de/projekt/advocacy/dokumentarfilme/dokumentarfilm-hawar/ · taz review: https://taz.de/Bedrueckende-Doku-ueber-Jesidenmord/!5324657/
• Significance: An important Êzîdî voice of its own in German documentary film.

B.4 „Shingal, Where Are You?" / „Kani Şingal?" (2016)

• Director: Angelos Rallis, co-director Hans Ulrich Gössl
• Year / Country: 2016 · Belgium / Greece
• Content: Êzîdî refugees in an abandoned coal mine on the Turkish border; at the centre is the Havind family, trying to ransom their daughter Viyan, abducted by ISIS.
• IMDb: tt6097390, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6097390/
• Festivals (documented): World premiere IDFA 2016 (https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/36b0c258-bd73-4eb8-907f-af40f1fca7ba/shingal-where-are-you/) · more than 40 festivals, including Thessaloniki, Hot Docs, One World Prague

B.5 „Escaping ISIS" / „Escape from ISIS" (2015)

• Director/Production: Edward Watts (director), Evan Williams (production), Channel 4 „Dispatches" / PBS FRONTLINE (co-production ITN Productions and others)
• First broadcast (documented): Channel 4 July 2015; PBS Frontline 14 July 2015
• Content: The underground network of the Êzîdî lawyer Khalil al-Dakhi, which rescues women and children enslaved by ISIS; with accounts of the first women who escaped.
• IMDb (Dispatches version): tt4897544, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4897544/
• Sources: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/escaping-isis/, freely available
• Award (documented): Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award (International TV)

B.6 „Angels of Sinjar" (2022)

• Director: Hanna Polak (Oscar- and Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker)
• Year / Country: 2022 · Poland / Germany
• Content: The survivor Hanifa from Şingal loses five sisters to ISIS enslavement and searches for them, driven by a promise to her dying father.
• Premiere/Awards (documented): World premiere FIFDH Geneva 2022 (Gilda Vieira de Mello Prize, shared) · Hot Docs 2022 Special Presentation
• Sources: https://cineuropa.org/en/film/423176/ · https://businessdoceurope.com/hot-docs-special-presentation-angels-of-sinjar-by-hanna-polak/
• Streaming: among others Amazon Prime Video (regional)

B.7 „Daughters of the Sun" (2023, documentary: not to be confused with A.2)

• Director: Reber Dosky (Kurdish-Dutch director, IDFA award winner for „Radio Kobani" 2016)
• Year / Country: 2023 · Netherlands
• Content: Follows nine Êzîdî women who survived ISIS captivity on their return to life, supported by a theatre maker.
• IMDb: tt26734328, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26734328/
• Sources: https://moviesthatmatter.nl/en/film/daughters-of-the-sun/ (nomination for the Movies that Matter Award)

B.8 „Mediha" (2023)

• Director: Hasan Oswald (USA); executive producers include Emma Thompson
• Year / Country: 2023 · USA / Iraq
• Content: The Êzîdî teenager Mediha Ibrahim Alhamad, abducted and enslaved during the Şingal massacre, films her own story herself after her liberation, over three years, in Iraq, Turkey and Syria.
• IMDb: tt27561780, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27561780/
• Awards (documented): Grand Jury Prize, DOC NYC 2023 (world premiere 12 November 2023), https://www.docnyc.net/film/mediha/
• Significance: One of the strongest survivor self-narratives of genocide cinema.

B.9 DW Documentary films (free on YouTube)

• „Aftermath of a Genocide: Yazidis of Sinjar" (DW Documentary, 2018), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sxaz0LdBW8
• „Defenseless People, The Yazidis and Their Lives after the Genocide" (DW Documentary, 2025), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pML2TXcGfxw
• Language: English (further DW language versions available)
• Significance: Free, reputable, good as an introduction.

B.10 „The Rise of ISIS" (PBS Frontline, 2014)

• Production: PBS Frontline (first broadcast October 2014)
• Êzîdî relevance: Reconstructs the rise of ISIS in 2014 including the Şingal offensive.
• Streaming: free at https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/ (search „The Rise of ISIS")

C. TV Reports + Freely Available Online Documentaries

Only items with a verifiable link. The broadcast archives of the German public broadcasters (ARD/ZDF/arte) continuously carry Êzîdî reports, especially around 3 August; availability there is time-limited.

• Sky News: „The story of the Yazidi people that ISIS tried to obliterate", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWgIihVwL34
• France 24 English (2024): „A decade after genocide, Iraq’s Yazidis make bittersweet return to Sinjar", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQVo-IuP_E0
• PBS Frontline: „Escaping ISIS" (2015) and „The Rise of ISIS" (2014), free at pbs.org (see B.5, B.10)
• DW Documentary: see B.9
• Documented major events with broad TV coverage (findable via broadcaster archives):
• 3 August 2014: beginning of the genocide: worldwide coverage from the first week
• 5 October 2018: Nobel Peace Prize for Nadia Murad
• 30 November 2021: world’s first genocide verdict (Higher Regional Court Frankfurt, case of Taha Al-J.)
• 19 January 2023: the German Bundestag recognises the genocide against the Êzîdîs

D. VR / Immersive Formats

D.1 „Nobody’s Listening" (VR experience + travelling exhibition)

• Content: Interactive VR experience „The Forgotten Voices of Sinjar", 360° documentary, Êzîdî art and VR technology; narrative strands of an abducted young woman, her brother and an ISIS fighter in the village of Kocho.
• Stations (documented): Premiere in the Iraqi Parliament 8 December 2020 · Exhibition launch ZKM Karlsruhe 1 October 2021 · afterwards among others Brussels, University of Nebraska Omaha, US Institute of Peace
• Sources: https://www.nobodys-listening.com/ · https://zkm.de/en/exhibition/2021/10/nobodys-listening · https://www.yazda.org/nobody-s-listening---vr

E. Short Films

E.1 „Yazidi" (2019, short fiction film)

• Director: Hektor Sakaloglou
• Year / Country: 2019 · Greece
• Content: Saman, arrived in Greece as a war refugee, is one of the survivors of the genocide against the Êzîdîs in northern Iraq.
• IMDb: tt10428240, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10428240/

F. Directors with Verified Êzîdî Works

G. Sources + Databases

1. IMDb (imdb.com), all IMDb IDs in this list individually checked (as of 2026-06-11)
2. IDFA archive (idfa.nl), documentary premieres
3. Festival de Cannes (festival-cannes.com), official selections
4. DOC NYC (docnyc.net), awards
5. PBS Frontline (pbs.org/wgbh/frontline), freely accessible US documentaries
6. DW Documentary (YouTube channel), freely accessible
7. Yazda (yazda.org), educational materials, „Nobody’s Listening"
8. Free Yezidi Foundation (freeyezidi.org), accompanying material for screenings
9. HÁWAR.help (hawar.help), documentary „Háwar", advocacy
10. Cineuropa / Screen Daily / Variety: festival and distribution press

H. Viewing Recommendations

H.1 Getting started (3 films)

1. „On Her Shoulders" (2018): trauma-sensitive, personal; ideal starting point for adults
2. „Haus ohne Dach" (2016): fictional, German diaspora perspective
3. DW Documentary „Aftermath of a Genocide": free on YouTube, compact overview

H.2 For trauma-sensitive viewers

• Recommended: „On Her Shoulders"; DW short formats
• With caution: „Sabaya", „Mediha", „Escaping ISIS" (distressing content)
• Not without accompaniment for survivors: „Reseba", „Les Filles du Soleil", „Sinjar" (depiction of violence/enslavement)

H.3 For schools / universities

• Plan trauma-sensitive preparation and debriefing; involve Êzîdî communities
• Accompanying material: Free Yezidi Foundation, Yazda, PBS/POV study guides
• Respect taboo topics (Sirr, inner rituals)

Last updated: 2026-06-11 (full verification of all entries) · Maintained by: the ezdixan.de team Licence: Creative Commons BY-SA, Êzîdî communities and educational institutions may freely share and adapt.