Vartinîs | AKFF

Amsterdam Koerdisch Film Festival

In 1993, Turkish forces burned the Öğüt family alive in Vartinis—seven of them children. Buried for decades, their story is unearthed in Vartinis, revealing a community’s pain, a state’s denial, and a relentless fight for justice. With Q&A

On a dark October night in 1993, the village of Vartinis (Altınova), Muş, was engulfed in fire. The Öğüt family’s home burned before their eyes, trapping seven children and two adults inside. There was no escape. By morning, only ashes remain.

Directed by Mehmet Ömer Biçer, Vartinis unearths the echoes of a silenced tragedy. In a remote village overshadowed by the state, a long-buried atrocity is brought to light. Eyewitness testimonies challenge official records, exposing unsettling truths and wounds that refuse to heal. This is not merely the story of a single night, but one of an enduring struggle for justice.

More than just a massacre, this is the story of a village, a family, and a people whose memory the state tried to erase.

Afterwards there will be a Q&A the producer of the movie: Mevlan Duygu