Kurdistan, "The Other Iraq", has been held up as a shining example of peace in the Middle East since US sanctioned protections were put in place in 1992, but how has this experimental democracy really affected women?
21 DAYS TO NAWROZ is a documentary feature explores the lives of three very different Kurdish women as they prepare for the ancient New Year feast by reckoning with the past and looking to the future.
Razaw is a feminist lawyer that defends women who are victims of honour crimes. She knows her work is vital, but she desperately wants to protect daughter from the restrictive culture she herself has been fighting with her whole life. Should she stay and continue her important work, or leave to seek a free life in the west?
Alwan was an 8 year-old girl who lost everything and witnessed unspeakable horrors when Saddam Hussein dropped a chemical bomb on the city of Halabja in 1988, killing 5000 Kurds instantly. The 20th anniversary of the tragedy is here, and she must play host to dozens of visiting dignitaries, all the while harboring resentment at the corruption and greed that have left these victims living an impoverished existence in rubble. Who is to blame?
Banaz is a tech-savvy 18-year-old girl who came of age post-Saddam, and is brimming with optimism. After studying hard and securing a scholarship to the American University, Banaz wants to seize the day. Unlike her pessimistic peers - she hopes desperately to stay in Iraq and make Kurdistan a better place, but she can't seem to rally support. Can one young girl make a difference?
21 DAYS TO NAWROZ is study of evolution, hope and courage in the most unlikely of places.