The first edition of the Kobani International Film Festival was launched in 2020 during the global COVID-19 pandemic, a period in which cinemas, cultural spaces, and artistic events around the world faced unprecedented shutdowns and uncertainty.

Despite these circumstances, the festival emerged as an independent cinematic initiative driven by Kurdish filmmakers and cultural activists who believed that cinema could continue to create dialogue and human connection even in moments of isolation and crisis.

Because of the pandemic restrictions, the entire edition was organized online, transforming the festival into a digital cinematic space that brought together filmmakers, artists, and audiences from different countries despite closed borders and physical distancing.

From its very beginning, the festival positioned itself as a platform dedicated to independent cinema, human-centered storytelling, and visual narratives connected to memory, identity, displacement, and social experience.

The first edition presented a diverse international selection of short fiction, documentary, and animation films, while also highlighting Kurdish cinematic voices alongside independent filmmakers from different cultural and artistic backgrounds.

Although it was born under exceptional global circumstances, the festival succeeded in establishing its first cinematic identity and laying the foundation for what would later become an expanding international cultural and cinematic platform.