The history of the Armenian-Kurdish cultural relations showcases a variety of interesting facts. The history between the Kurdish and Armenian cultures goes back to the Ottoman Empire and soviet Armenia, till recent years with the formation of the Republic of Armenia. In the Ottoman Empire era, the Armenian-Kurdish relations were characterized by continuous confl ict. However, in Armenia such relations had a peaceful nature. Kurdish people always consider Armenia a country with best ground for the protection of their national identity. For more than seventy years, Armenians have had the possibility to have a state structure within the borders of a large Soviet empire and to promote the culture of one of its ethnic minorities: the Kurds. The Armenian Kurds have a dedicated radio program in Kurdish, a newspaper in Kurdish language called Rya Taza [New Way]; a Kurdish group within the Armenian Writers Union was in charge of reviewing contents in Kurdish language in a yearly almanac. The Kurdish of Armenia have their national organizations as well (“Kurdistan” committee, “Armenia’s Kurdish Community”). Several Armenian artists and intellectuals played a central role in the cultural development of an imaginary Kurdish nation in fi elds such as literature2, translation3, music4 and theater5. Such intellectual turmoil created a fi ctional form of Kurdish folk, which outbursted in several artistic expressions, and generated Kurdish heroes well presented in literature6, theatre, paintings, as well as in cinema. The fi rst fi lms that represented Armenian Kurds were produced in Russia in the 10s. The fi rst feature fi lm that focused on Armenian Kurds was entitled Under the Kurdish Yoke (Pod vlasyu kurdov) – also known in Europe as The Tragedy of Turkish Armenia – and was shot by the Russian director A.I. Minervin in 1915. Unfortunately, in spite of its historical relevance, this fi lm is now lost. However, some production documents and stills have survived. This movie was produced in October 1915. The protagonist was played by Armenian actor Bayatov. The plot of this fi lm narrates the fate of an Armenian girl, who was apprehended by the Kurds and confi ned within a harem. Her fi ancée liberates her from the harem and they both join a group of Armenian militia7. Such fi lm presents the Kurds as rivals of the Armenians. The title Under the Yoke of Kurds itself presents some inconsistency: Armenia, in fact, after being defeated by the Ottomans, lived under their yoke (and not the Kurds’) for six centuries. However, as recorded by history, Armenian-Kurdish relationships have been marked by critical and obscure events. The Kurdish beks (princes) submitted Armenian peasants with cruel oppression; many Kurdish lined up with Turk rulers in the process of Armenian genocide, between 1915-19238. ZaréThe depiction of the Kurdish culture has been pivotal in Armenian cinema from its very origins (during the 20s), being at the same time an artistic choice and a social and historical responsibility. The fi rst Armenian feature fi lm dedicated to Kurdish culture was entitledZaré, directed by Hamo Beknazaryn in 19269. The story was inspired by the text Zaré written by the Armenian author Abé Lazo.10 In the plot, a romantic love story is intertwined with social issues. The actions of the fi lm evolve on the background of the First World War, and narrates the oppression of the Kurds as well as the confl icts of classes. According to fi lm critic Suren Hasmikyan, Zaré – as well as the subsequent fi lm entited Khaspush, directed by Beknazaryn in 1927 – proved that Armenian fi lmmakers were not only interested in recounting their national problems, but were also compassionate towards other ethnic groups undergoing similar cruelties. Suren Hasmikyan wrote that.[1]
=KTML_Link_External_Begin=https://www.kurdipedia.org/docviewer.aspx?id=543594&document=0001.PDF=KTML_Link_External_Between=Click to read Zaré and Kurds-YezidsThe representation of the Kurds in two Soviet Armenian fi lms1=KTML_Link_External_End=