Documentary about women in Rojava – “Despite all of this”: none must, everyone wants

It is like a person who has lived in a cave for decades that the first time see daylight. The old woman, who harvested parsley with her large, heavy hands on the field, tells of the time when IS was repelled in Kobanê. For years she hadn’t left her house, the children with her. What a liberation that was to finally feel a small but essential form of freedom. In the meantime, she lives together with other women in the self -managed village of Jinwar (Kurdish for women), west of Dirbêsiyê in northern Syria. A place of longing for Kurds, Arabs, but also for women worldwide who suffered enough and obeyed enough. Here you run in a collectively organized community agriculture, a bakery, a school, a small outpatient clinic with a medicinal herb garden. “We break the clichés,” says one while screwing on the tractor.

Filmmaker Robert Krieg, who has accompanied basic democratic initiatives in the Middle East in his works for more than 40 years, visited this village and the entire Rojava region for its new documentary “despite all of this” to show women who have succeeded after destruction and massive oppression, which has succeeded in making an impossible impossible: self -empowerment and healing.

In western societies, for which only the attribute seems to apply disruptive, such life forms based on solidarity are simply unreal, look like a story from Mars.

We see the Technik-Saved Argin, who takes care of the maintenance of the heavy agricultural machines, the artisan Jehan, the splendidly decorated picture frame, the single parent Delal, the versatile Sidan, the Taekwondo teacher Ghoufran and the deaf silk sticker Hiba. Everyone seems drained, strained. Self -organization, demarcation from the patriarchal conventions and the constant courage to be considered outsiders are hard work. But they all tell how happy they have been since they have lived in freedom. In addition to the village of Jinwar, the film also presents other women’s projects and their self-organized life: a multi-religious food delivery service for working women, an artist, an artist, an artist who runs a museum for Kurdish art and spreads its message from variety and strength with Tikok and Facebook videos. “With principles and minds we can achieve everything here,” says Sidan from Jinwar in one scene and this spirit runs through the whole film.

What we don’t see are men. Except maybe among the children who bring the women to the village. Men appear as people who suppress that are violent who lock their women, take their children away from them. The patriarchy in its full ugliness. Perhaps it is only to be understood from this perspective, which means freedom, what this village or a self -determined life in the region means for women. And maybe it is only to be understood from this oppression experience why the community in Jinwar works at all. Otherwise Robert Krieg’s film tells relatively little. We do not find out what limits a community has based on self -organization and solidarity. Who will be recorded, who is not? If everyone is welcome here, what rules are there? What happens if you don’t stick to them?

All of this does not want to know “despite all of this”. But somehow it would have been part of the truth. Almost everything is too good to believe that a self -organization -based coexistence can do so completely without conflicts. There is never talk of contradiction within the women’s community in the film. In one of the meetings that take place two weeks, an older woman proposes to plant chickpeas and lenses soon. It is not discussed whether this is economically or somehow sensible, but agreed, it will be implemented promptly. Can all of this be really trouble -free? But maybe that’s also a question that you can only ask yourself if you have the slope to take yourself too important.

Nd.Diewoche – Our weekly newsletter

With our weekly newsletter . We’re Doing Look at the most important topics of the week and read them Highlights our Saturday edition on Friday. Get the free subscription here.

The women are concerned with creating something out of nothing, from war, destruction and their own strength that enables a self -determined life. It is about self -confidence to be able to make it if everyone tackles. This is central. Everyone is involved, none has vanity, selfishes, is too good for something. You can’t afford that here. Everyone does what they can, none they have, but everyone wants. That is what Robert War wants to show and he succeeds impressively. In western societies, for which only the attribute seems to apply disruptive, such life forms based on solidarity are simply unreal, look like a story from Mars – and as if we had nothing to do with it in the West. As if it were simply impossible to agree on mutual consideration, solidarity, fairness and support. In Rojava these are the same people with the same needs, fears or ideas of a good life. If you don’t believe anything anymore, you might think that you have to score everything first, take your dignity to get it.

The empty spaces remain. What has happened to the region since the Islamic militia HTS is in charge in Syria? What plans does the Turkish government have? The region’s autonomy has always been fragile.

The film is a huge exclamation mark, which also says the title. In the end, a woman says the young people who succeeded here, left the village to be really successful elsewhere. How can you still think we have nothing to do with all of this?

“Despite all of this”, Germany 2025. Director: Robert Krieg. 90 minutes, start: June 12th