Nîzamettîn Arîç, (1956- ) is a contemporary Kurdish singer, composer and director. He was born in Agirî (Western Kurdistan). He was exposed to traditional Kurdish bard music or Dengbêj at an early age. After the military coup in 1980, he was arrested for singing Kurdish songs in public and became a potent symbol of Kurdish identity in Turkey. Later on, he sought political asylum in Germany and now resides in Berlin. His movie "A Song for Beko" was one of the first films in the Kurdish language and has won 15 international awards.