BRITISH FILM FESTIVAL IN KURDISTAN REGION

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That this House warmly welcomes the inaugural British Film Festival in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, in Iraq in spite of the absence of a cinema, which is being organised by the British Consulate-General, Bankside Films and the Kurdistan regional government; believes that this does much to help mark the growing cultural, political and commercial relationships between the Kurdistan region and the UK; notes that the National Film and Television School is organising workshops for young Kurdish filmmakers wanting to tell their stories which will inspire local creativity, help to develop the nascent local filmmaking community and encourage films about the blossoming of the Kurdistan region after decades of dictatorship, genocide and isolation; and hopes that there will be many more such cultural exchanges and initiatives.