Darya evoked Gülem, a forgotten goddess of carpet weaving from the Uyghur region. They traveled across Central Asia to piece together Gülem’s fragmented beings. Through poetic voices, shared rituals, and ancestral echoes, they explore themes of feminism, oppression, and colonial erasure.
Do You Know That I’m With You is an artistic research-based film exploring political erasure of female history in the Uyghur region of China. Central to the film is Gülem, a mystical figure from Uyghur oral tradition linked to carpet weaving, whose fragmented legacy symbolizes silenced female makers. Through critical fabulation, myth-making, and Sufism, the director embarks on a journey across Transoxiana to piece together Gülem’s presence. The film weaves together imprisoned poet Gulnisa Imin’s verses, read by Uyghur women in diaspora, multi-voiced narration, and archival footage. Poetic yet narrative-driven, it evokes Gülem’s enduring presence through voices, images, and texts, confronting memory, resistance, and identity.
Read more about the research here.