The 2025 Rosa Luxemburg-Beirut Office and Kurdistan Institution for Strategic Studies and Scientific Research ethnographic film, Lay your Hand on a Full Stomach, celebrates farmers oral histories and cultural heritage in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and presents insight about wide usage of pesticide and fertilizers in the region.
In the film, the oral history of several local farmers and their agricultural heritage were presented through ethnographic field interviews from different parts of Sulaimani province, including the Raperin and Garmian administrations. The past and current developments in agriculture are highlighted and presented.
The highlights the importance of practicing sustainable agriculture and staying away from the wide use of pesticides and chemicals, as well as the production of healthy food for a healthy society. In addition, the film explains the impact of the harms of the use of pesticides and chemicals on human health, soil and agricultural products.
On 24/5/2025, the film was screened at Cinema Salim in Slemani and was well received by audiences from different backgrounds. After the screening of the film, a comprehensive discussion was held between the directors and staff of the film, and the audiences asked engaging and critical questions about the content of the film, the importance of food sovereignty, and need for the production of natural and healthy food. The audiences highly praised the film
And role of the film staff and hoped that more attention would be paid to the topics of the film that is directly related to the daily lives of citizens and society. They called for wider screenings of the film in different cities, regions and educational centers in order to spread more awareness.