'Is This Really Me?': A Filmmaker On The Front Line In Syria With Female Kurdish Fighters

BY:By RFE/RL - Will Tizard

Kurdish-Iranian documentarian Negin Ahmadi gathered unique frontline insights into the lives of female soldiers in the civil war in Syria in 2016. For her newly released film, Dream's Gate, she decided to take her video camera into the war zone, hoping to somehow absorb the courage of women fighting Islamic State militants.

The footage shows that her subjects -- several now dead -- offered more than inspiration. Ahmadi found herself on the battle front, armed and wearing the uniforms of the Kurdish fighters of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in Syria.