Resistance in the City, in-between Bodies and “Dysfunctional” Languages

Abstract

Abstract Based on the work of Kurdish film-maker Ali Kemal Çınar, this article investigates the intersections between Kurdish and queer cinema. It asks whether and how the notion of queer cinema might be expanded beyond Western contexts to include concerns related to ethnicity, resistance, and language. The article analyses Ali Kemal Çınar’s cinema from a queer perspective and sheds light on the way in which Çınar’s films speak to broader tendencies within queer cinema. It argues that viewing Ali Kemal Çınar’s films from a queer perspective allows us to expand the definition of Kurdish cinema and in this way build a bridge with queer cinema.