By Hebibulla Izchi, Nov 25, 2025
The film Eye of the Machine, directed by Dutch filmmaker Daya Kahn, had its world premiere on November 17 at the Aya Theater in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The film introduces China’s surveillance system and its repression of the Uyghurs. It features the personal experiences of Kalbinur Sidik, who now lives in exile in the Netherlands and was previously forced to work in labor camps.
According to the film’s introduction: “Through personal photographs, archived documents, open-source data, information released by Chinese state media, and testimonies from Uyghur exiles, Kalbinur Sidik’s personal account is contrasted with the Chinese state’s propaganda.” The premiere theater was filled with Dutch viewers, and the film had a strong emotional impact on the audience.
Prior to the premiere, three major Dutch newspapers published special reports on the film. They highlighted that after fleeing her homeland, Kalbinur Sidik considered it her duty to expose the national cleansing she had witnessed against the Uyghurs in China, despite the risks. The reports stated: “In Eye of the Machine, Kalbinur Sidik combines her testimony with photographs, archived documents, and open-source data to reveal the machinery of Chinese oppression. The price she paid to speak the truth about China’s atrocities in East Turkistan was enormous, yet she remained resolute. As a prominent Uyghur woman, she witnessed firsthand the methods the Chinese state used to attempt to erase the Uyghur people.”
Kalbinur Sidik said about the film: “This project, alongside Ms. Daya Kahn and her team, myself, and my brother Alarik, began in November 2023 in my home. Thanks to Daya’s dedication and relentless research, including multiple interviews at my home, the film came to life. I am very grateful for her hard work. At a time when our cause is largely ignored, the aggressor China continues to travel freely while its propaganda intensifies, it is a crucial moment for my testimony film to be made and recognized. May it serve the cause of our people!”
Representatives of the World Uyghur Congress also attended the premiere on November 17. The film will be screened in cinemas starting November 17.
This article is translated from the version published in the Uyghur edition of Uyghur Post.
Hebibulla Izchi reports for Uyghur Post on the diaspora and Uyghur communities across Europe and around the world.
