#1 of 8 ranked Best-rated Kurdish movie
2021 Documentary 1h 30m Kurdish
83 Echo Score $14.3K worldwide
Directed by Hogir Hirori
About Sabaya Language · Middle East & North Africa
Kurdish Movies: New Releases, Best-Rated Films & Box Office
109 Kurdish-language films are on What’s After the Movie, 44 of them (40%) from the 2020s. Drama leads with 72, then documentary (25) and war (19). The best-rated is Sabaya (2021) with an Echo Score of 83; the newest release is My Uncle Jens, out Mar 8, 2025. 11 films have reported box office, $2.4M worldwide in all.
- Kurdish films on the site
- 109
- ranked by rating
- 8
- worldwide gross of 11 films
- $2.4M
- busiest decade (44 films)
- 2020s
#1 of 8 ranked New releases
What Are the Newest Kurdish Movies?
The 6 most recent Kurdish-language releases, newest first: My Uncle Jens came out on Mar 8, 2025. The full list below has all 109 released Kurdish films, newest first.
Best-rated
What Are the Best Kurdish Movies?
With an Echo Score of 83, Sabaya (2021) ranks first of the 8 ranked Kurdish films, ahead of Refuge (2023) and Turtles Can Fly (2005). 5 of the top 8 are from the 2000s. Ranked by Echo Score; 6 of these 8 films have none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and are ranked by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
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3. Turtles Can Fly 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100)2005 · Drama, War · 1h 38m
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences
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4. A Time for Drunken Horses 78 Metascore (Metascore 78 out of 100 (24 critic reviews))2000 · Drama, War · 1h 20m
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi No Echo Score: ranked 78/100 on critics & audiences
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5. Half Moon 72 Metascore (Metascore 72 out of 100 (9 critic reviews))2007 · Drama, Comedy · 1h 47m
Dir. Bahman Ghobadi No Echo Score: ranked 70/100 on critics & audiences
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6. Blackboards 64 Metascore (Metascore 64 out of 100 (13 critic reviews))2002 · Drama, War
No Echo Score: ranked 64/100 on critics & audiences
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7. Refuge 34 Metascore (Metascore 34 out of 100 (6 critic reviews))2014 · Drama · 1h 24m
Dir. Jessica Goldberg No Echo Score: ranked 46/100 on critics & audiences
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8. Into the Fire 19 Metascore (Metascore 19 out of 100 (6 critic reviews))2005 · Drama · 1h 35m
Dir. Michael Phelan No Echo Score: ranked 35/100 on critics & audiences
Genres
What Kinds of Kurdish Movies Are There?
Drama is part of 66% of Kurdish films (72); documentary (25) and war (19) follow. Compared with the whole catalogue, Kurdish films lean most towards war: 17% of them, against 2% of all films. Films can have several genres. Each bar opens the full list filtered to that genre, with its best-rated film underneath.
Decade by decade
Kurdish Cinema, Decade by Decade
The 2020s are the busiest decade with 44 films (40%); the earliest Kurdish film on the site is from 1992. The best-rated of the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s: Turtles Can Fly (2005), Refuge (2014) and Sabaya (2021). No Kurdish film from before the 2000s is ranked.
Box office
Which Kurdish Movies Earned the Most?
Turtles Can Fly (2005) leads with $1.1M worldwide. The top 5 together took $2.3M, 96% of the $2.4M earned by the 11 Kurdish films with reported box office. Grosses that look like data errors, and films stored with the wrong language, are left out.
- worldwide gross, all Kurdish films
- $2.4M
- films with reported box office
- 11
- share of the top 5
- 96%
- 1. Turtles Can Fly $1.1M worldwide
2005 · Drama
- 2. A Time for Drunken Horses $632.3K worldwide
2000 · Drama
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3. My Sweet Pepper Land $324.4K worldwide2013 · Drama
- 4. Half Moon $248.7K worldwide
2007 · Drama
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5. Before Snowfall $63.1K worldwide2013 · Drama
People
Who Are the Top Kurdish Directors and Actors?
Nzar Salami leads the cast lists with 3 Kurdish films, ahead of Feyyaz Duman (2) and Suat Usta (2). Counted over notable features: films with ratings, box office, awards or a plot summary on the site.
Most-cast actors in Kurdish films
- Nzar Salami 3 filmsBest-rated: My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
- Feyyaz Duman 2 filmsBest-rated: My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
- Suat Usta 2 filmsBest-rated: My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
- Adil Abdulrahman 2 filmsBest-rated: My Sweet Pepper Land (2013)
- Zirek 2 filmsBest-rated: Before Snowfall (2013)
Full list
Browse All 109 Kurdish Movies
Filter all 109 Kurdish films by genre, decade or year and sort them by rating, box office, release date or title. The list starts with the 109 released Kurdish films, newest first.
109 released Kurdish films
Kurdish movies, newest first. Page 1 of 3.
Related languages
Movies in Other Languages From the Middle East & North Africa
Middle East & North Africa has 6 languages on the site. Besides Kurdish, the biggest are Arabic (3,085 films), Turkish (2,721 films) and Persian (1,507 films); the largest languages elsewhere follow.
FAQ
Kurdish Movies: Questions & Answers
Answers from the 109 Kurdish films on the site: their ranking and box office.
How many Kurdish movies are there?
109 Kurdish-language films are on What’s After the Movie, released from 1992 to 2025. 8 are ranked by rating and 11 have reported box office.
Browse all Kurdish movies What is the best Kurdish movie?
Sabaya (2021) ranks highest (Echo Score 83), followed by Refuge (2023) and Turtles Can Fly (2005). Ranked by Echo Score; 1 of these 3 films has none (released before 2017, when Echo Scores start) and is ranked by a blend of its Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings.
About Sabaya What is the highest-grossing Kurdish movie?
Turtles Can Fly (2005), with $1.1M worldwide, ahead of A Time for Drunken Horses (2000) at $632.3K.
Kurdish box office charts Which decade had the most Kurdish films?
The 2020s, with 44 films (40% of all Kurdish films on the site). Its best-rated film is Sabaya (2021).
What are the newest Kurdish movies?
My Uncle Jens (released Mar 8, 2025), Hêvî (released Sep 24, 2024) and Kifn (released Aug 24, 2024).
New Kurdish releases