THE CEMETERY OF THE NAMELESS

The cemetery of the nameless is located in Sulaymaniyah, southern Kurdistan. Hesam Yousefi turns it into the starting point of his documentary of the same name, which shows the work of activist Bahar Munzir and her comrades-in-arms. They are fighting against the still-very-much-prevalent honour killings, femicides that are often concealed and covered up by family members. This also applies to the case of Darya, who was murdered by her brother: her fate is explored in exemplary fashion by Yousefi in order to illustrate the untiring engagement of Munzir’s organisation. Breathless images at once objective and of a piercing clarity are created, which underpin Yousefi’s experience as an editor, director and cinematographer.

Carolin Weidner

Hesam Yousefi