As of late, Syria has been associated in the public consciousness with refugees and political strife, and not so much with the visual arts. But a group of Kurdish filmmakers and artists hope to change that. In the Rojava region of Syria (known to some as Western Kurdistan), they’ve set up the Rojava Film Commune to not only produce and distribute films, but also to promote the unity and culture of the Kurdish nation, now split into four parts spread across Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. Harry Gilbert spoke with a member of the commune named Ronahi about life in Syria as well as their vision for Kurdish cinema.