.jpg)
KT Report:
Recorded with a handheld camera rolling in the tradition of an observational documentary, ‘Liberated’ is a short 25-minutes documentary filmed and edited by Rozh Ahmad, giving a rare insight into the early days of the 2012 Kurdish uprising in Rojava, the Kurdish region of northeast Syria.
The film shows how the Kurds, as the largest and yet one of the most oppressed minorities in Syria, began to independently self-rule their towns and cities, rejecting both the regime and Islamic jihadists amid the civil war.
Each scene introduces the Kurdish quest for freedom after years of denial and oppression under the Baathist regime of Syria.
It distinctively features first-hand accounts of key events that took place during early days of the 2012 Kurdish uprising in all of the main Syrian Kurdish cities and provinces, except for the city of Efrin.
We see women proudly assert that they are the ‘backbone’ of the struggle and that their fight is for all women of the region, not just Kurds.
We follow Rozh Ahmad on an undercover trip to Qamishlou, where the Assad regime’s forces were still operating during the day.
YPG
We get a glimpse into the early formation of the pro-Kurdish popular militia, the Peoples Protection Units, commonly known by the Kurdish acronym YPG. The formation of this militia went under-reported when it was organized on a local basis in Rojava in July-August 2012.
“The first stage of our revolution has been accomplished”, says a young volunteer who adds presciently: “The next stage may be tougher but we are ready to keep up the fight”.
We end up in Kobanê, which had become a safe haven for refugees from Aleppo and elsewhere. Two years later, Kobanê is now under attack by the jihadists – and the defence of the city is being led by the YPG.
Watch this inspiring film:
