This is Leyla. I am Leyla. Here is Leyla.
Can you hear me — can you see me?
I left home at nine o’clock.
I left my friends in the night, my belongings behind.
I waited for my brother at the Jordanian border.
I finally got a fake passport.
I was on the move, detached.
Extract from a youth poem written by Leyla
Leyla is a kaleidoscopic short film and description about a Kurdish woman. It consists of Leyla’s childhood photos, farewell letters from friends, a smuggling story, thoughts about her Swedish support family and what it is like to be Leyla and finally be visible.
Zagros Manuchar (b. 1990, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq) is a filmmaker and artist who has addressed themes of war and children’s rights in his cinematic works. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2022. Manuchar has held solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Finland, including the Nuoret 2023 exhibition at Kunsthalle Helsinki and the Destination exhibition in 2024 at Malva. His works have also been showcased at international film festivals, exhibitions, and cultural institutes. Additionally, he has published two children’s picture books together with author Leena Parkkinen: Syysvieras (Autumn Visitor), in 2023 and Käpykolon väkeä (The Folk of Pinecone Hollow) and Yllätysten talvi (Winter of Surprises) in 2024.
The artist thanks the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Iraqi Women’s Association INY ry.