“I think your mother is now considered as the Cemil Pasha family’s last samurai, fighting for the Kurdish movement.”
We’ve all heard the saying that mothers are the unsung heroes of our everyday lives, but what if your mother is an actual hero of your nation’s independence? Meet Nevine, the director who documented the struggles her own mother, Pervine, has to go through as a Kurdish militant activist in her documentary The Pasha, my mother and I (Nevine Gerits, 2023). Nevine invites her viewers for 83 minutes to dive into her complicated family history, all the while questioning the heritage that is carried through her mother’s bloodline.
The everlasting fight Pervine has for Kurdish independence is a lifelong one. Over time, Pervine would publish a global monthly bulletin that contains the struggles of the Kurds through the Kurdish Bureau. Even at her age, Pervine still moves through life with the embers of her patriotic spirit for her stateless nation, as if being a Kurdish activist isn’t a career, rather a heritage passed down through generations.
The Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, however, they have never obtained statehood unlike Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Kurds gathered and discussed forming a country called Kurdistan. The Kurds then looked to the possibility of establishing the Kurdistan state through Treaty of Sèvres after the end of World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. However, the arrangement was soon unsuccessful with the negotiation of the Treaty of Lausanne that formed modern Turkey. In the last 80 years, all attempts to form a country for the Kurds remain fruitless.
Pervine stands strong for Kurdish independence still for as long as she may live. She fights through her movements and her writings. The fire within her was passed down from her late father, Ekrem Cemil Pasha, one of the founders of the Kurdish modern movement. The letters that Ekrem wrote are ingrained in her head, fueling the fire to fight for the sovereign rights of the Kurdish nation.
For years, Nevine secretly questioned the origin of her family, especially of her mother. Who is her mother? Who actually is Pervine? How does history and identity mold who her family really is? And after so many years, Nevine realized that she doesn’t actually know her mother. They communicate, but they would never open up.
Finally, Nevine gave her mother two options to choose one day, between a free Kurdistan and their family. Pervine shook her head, and adamantly replied,
“You have to choose between a free Kurdistan and your family. That question doesn’t make sense, sweetheart. One has nothing to do with the other. Sorry.”
Now Nevine has to accept the torch Pervine has passed down to her. The heritage to fight for a free Kurdistan. Nevine then entrusts it in the hands of her firstborn whose middle name is Hêvî, the name Pervine gave her. Hêvî. Hope.
This documentary offered a new perspective on the reflection of self discovery and family identity. The journey of digging into family history, uncovering your nation’s heritage, up until discovering the struggle of a mother in liberating herself, her family, and her nation.
The Pasha, my mother and I (2023) is selected in International Feature-Length Competition Festival Film Dokumenter 2023. (Hesty N. Tyas) (Vanis/Adinta)
Film Details
The Pasha, my mother and I (Le Pacha, ma mère et moi)
Nevine Gerits | 83 Minutes | 2023 | Belgium | Color | 17+
Screening Schedule
12.06 | Bioskop Sonobudoyo | 19.00 WIB
