The trailer for Elif Yigit’s new documentary called “Heskîf” has just been released. The documentary focuses on the historic settlement of Hasankeyf and its destruction by the Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey.
Hasankeyf was submerged once the Ilısu Dam became operational in early July. One hundred and ninety-nine settlements, including fifty villages, were submerged and thousands of people living in the area were forcibly displaced.
Hasankeyf contained evidence of the first human traces dating back 300,000 years. It also contained archaeological settlements dating back 12,000 years and two hundred and eighty-nine ancient burial mounds. In addition, there were over one hundred endemic species and animals living in the area.
Filmaker Yiğit’s previous documentary “Endless Games” (“Lîstikên Bê Sînor”) was premièred at last year’s İstanbul Kurdish Film Festival. Yiğit was born in Diyarbakır (Amed) in Turkey and studied Cinema at İstanbul’s Kültür University. Currently, she is studying History of Art at Istanbul Unıversity and also working as a camera assistant.
She states that her new documentary “is about the submersion and the demolition of Hasankeyf – a historical district in Batman that has 12,000 years of legacy – because of the Ilısu Dam, and about the lives of the people who lost their villages, homes and memories”.
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