Back in Erbil.

The festival is finished and I am back to my city ( Erbil )

I really miss everything in festival, it was fantastic experience.

In the morning today, I start on some arts management ideas which we had plan for it in the festival, I spend my morning of researching and translating information from english to Arabic and kurdish, was very good feeling as I start thinking one more time about project I love to do it and work on it. I think the weather and the atmospheric in Erbil maks you think differently, not bad, I always like to start and do new things!

Today afternoon, I was in the old market in Erbil with my friend and then we went in Erbil football stadium, Erbil was plying   against Malaysian team KELANTAN, in FAC CUP, we win 5-1 , what a great game ! and the ticket was free as well :)   

I am thinking know how to make a good film festival in Erbil?

Good night :)

5th day of Duhok International film festival

In the Duhok film festival yesterday I watched one short film made by a Kurdish Director Iraj Mohammadi, ( Ghi ghoo ), Feature France film by Alan gomis ( Today ) , Short Turkish film ( Bread ) by Koray Sevindi , and Feature Kurdish Irani film by Shahram Maslakhi.  

I liked all of them as an art work and appreciate all their hard work, but some directors and film makers in the festival told me that they didn't like all of them! and my answer was that is normal because we all are different and I am sure there are people they dont like your work too! I siad that to work and build a philosophy of excepting each other hard works and tray to not show that we are complete and know everything, and then thinking about others that they are below then you! I know you all good film makers and we all have to learn more!

I also been around the city today, Duhok is a beautiful city,,, I love it :)

Miss Angela Movileanu the a young moldavian researcher which she is doing research in Kurdistan about Kurdish Identity, I met her few days ago and we met again yesterday and we sit yesterday night with Mr Nasir Hassan a Kurdish TV an Film director, we had a very long conversation about the  work in this industry, he kindly told me many stories related on his experience, he also shoed me some of his last tv drama Kirkuk4, it was a good story to have in Kirkuk city, hi been attacked by terrorists 3 times and now he have 14 bullets in his body! but he stil want to work and shier his imagination with other people.    

Duhok International film festival is great, I feel I am very lucky to be here, thanks to all of you guy who organised this festival, you all are great :) 

4th day in Duhok international film festival.

It was a very nice day as my feeling was fully of positive energy, I really met a very nice people and very good actors!

 I watched short Italian film Babylon fast food, by Alessandro Valori, Documentary France, Avierge les coptes et moi, by Namir Abdel Messeeh, Short Iran, Ghorobe Halazon, by Azad Mohammadi, Feautre Spanish, Open 24h, by Carles Torras, Short Kurdish, Power , by Husain Hassan, Short Iran, Kochei poshte Khane ma, by Shilan Saadi, and Feature Kurdish, 10 Seconds,by Ako aziz.

I really liked all of them, Open 24h and 10 Seconds was my favorite, http://www.duhokiff.com/index.php/en/program-2012

I also met with all this films directors and we had a good conversation about their films and some back ground about their works and the place they came from.

I met With The Shirin film director Mr Hassan Ali and we had a long conversation regarding job opportunities in Kurdistan for me, he really gave me good advices, I also had a very deep chat with Shilan Saadi and a turkish directo Miss Asmin Bayram ( The director of Ones again peace ) about film festivals is Kurdistan of Turkey ( North Kurdistan ) and Kurdistan of Iran ( East Kurdistan ), we also exchanged ideais about how we see the future of Kurdistan, as this was my first time to discase this issues with other Kurdish people from other parts of Kurdistan! I had feeling that we need to meet and talk more and more to know each other better, this is for me, because it was the first time :)

I am planing to go back to erbil today, but I have feeling that I want to stay more, but I will see, just because my budget! it is only me who came from Erbil on my won budget, all the other are invited from the festival.

Duhok international film festival in Kurdistan

Have been long time! I know that, but I really had a very busy live with both parts in our reality, good time and bad time! but here I am agin making time to writ again.

I am in Kurdistan know, in Dohuk city, it is Duhok international film festival and I came from Erbil to join my new friends and make more contacts with Kurdish and international film makers, today is my second day in Duhok, I watched many movies, I watched Shirin film by Abas ali, Feature film, The  Guerilla son, by Zanyar Adami, Documentary, Ghost, by Dahci Ma, short film and some other short films.

I really like the idea of being in Duhok and the festival, I met many people and we already start to making plans to work in film and media in Kurdistan, I met Bery Shalmashi , Ako Sirini and Zanyar Adami, they all are film makers and they came back from Europe to work in Kurdistan.

I really believe that all my trip have been organised from last year, I got a new job last year, I could make some  money to be able to travel to kurdistan, I came and was a conference for job to meet some people, then they told me about Duhok film festival, then I met all this people! and now I am planing to come back to kurdistan for good! many other small details I cant remember now, but I will write them down when I remember :) I am sure you guys will understand!

I have feeling that the shoe I am wearing it this day is good size but not the 100% one so I am thinking to wear the one is smaller size to feel pain.

talk soon
Kawa :)

We had an audition day on last Sunday for our new short film ( Baby-Lon).

The film is about 2 young girl wants to make interviews with some Iraqi people regarding the Uni project, there is also Shwan, the Iraqi actor in London who wants to prove him self as a great actor! the film is comedy and it is in English and Arabic language.

We will start shooting in the second week in January 2011, we are working on pre-production and everything is good so far, of course because of the great and very professional work from our Iraqi young people, I would like to thank them very much for been very organised and hard worker.

We are still looking for a blonde girl actor, age 20 to 25 for role of Kethy

The crew's name and position in the film:

Nadia Al-Dhahi: Producer

Jose Ruiz: DOP

D, Jafar Abd Al Hamid: Photografer and sound manger.

Ahlam Arab: Coordinator and casting manager

Kawa Rasul: Script Writer and Director

Struan Robertson: Script editor

Fady Najem: Camera assistant

Mostafa Ali: Light assistant

Karim Al shekh: sound and acting role of the Director

Ali Madani,: Actor

Chloe Farnworth: Actor

Dhifaf Auda: Actor

yassin Al - Asadi : Actor

Falah Jassem: Actor

Ganim Al-Soltan: Actor

Hasy Khusbak: Actor

Mabast Amin: Photographer assistant

And a very spacial thanks for D, Jafar Abd Al Hamid for all his help and advice.

We will update you next week about our latest :)

Many thanks to all of you and best regards

kawa

10/10/2010

From Kurdistan to City of Dreams

لقد انتهيت يوم امس من تكملت عملية المنتاج لاول فيلم الذي قمت بتصويره قبل شهرين في العاصمة اليونانية اثينه.

انه فيلم قصير يتناول جانب من هجرة العراقين الى البلدان الاوروبية من خلال اليونان, لقد كانت اليونان و بالاخص العاصمة اثينا الدار الامنة و محطة الانطلاق لجميع الدول العالم و خاصة الدول الاوربية للمهاجرين العراقين! ان اثينا كانت ارض الاحلام.

كنت انا ايضا واحدا من المهاجرين و المتلهفين للوصول الى ارض الاحلام في عام 1996 , و بعد مغامرات قد استمرت بحدود السنة وصلت الى اليونان بطريقة غير شرعية (زورق سريع) من خلال احد جزرها الجميلة رودوس ومنها الى اثينا.

عشت في اثينا لمدة 5 اعوام وشاهدة الاف من المهاجرين الذين كانو يصلون اليها , الاغلبية منهم كانو يبقون لفتره قصيرة حتى يسافرو بعدها مستخدمين الطرق الغير شرعية و الغير امنه الى الدول الاوربية الاخرى!

لقد بقيه ارض الاحلام حلما فقط لكثيرمن الحالمين الذين غرقو او انفجرت الالغام بهم عندما كانوا يعبرون الجبال و البحور متجهين الى اليونان ! وظلت عوائلهم ينتظرون وصول بقايا اجساد ابنائهم الذي لم يرجع ابدا ! وكان ايضا ماسي لبعض الناس الذي شاهدو غرق و موت عوائلهم امام اعيونهم دون ان يسطتيعو انجادهم ! انني متاكد بان الاعلام ابرز هذه الحوادث في وقتها و اهتم بالقضية كثيرا خصوصا ان المهاجرين الموتا قد اتو من احد اغنى البلدان في العالم!

لقد حاولت في هذا الفلم القصير ان اصور جزء صغير من ذاكرتي التي لا تزال مليئة بالاحداث و المغامرات التي عشتها في اليونان و حاولت توصيل الفكره من خلال الصورة فقط و ذالك لانني في كثير من الاحوال كنت ارى الصور ولا اسمع الحوار!

I have just completed my first film, made in Athens, the Greek capital.

It is a short movie focussing on Iraqi immigrants travelling from Iraq to Europe and farther west via Greece. Greece is the best and safest place to land for Iraqi immigrants as it is the eastern door to European countries and the best departure station to all other destinations. Athens is the land of dreams!

I was one of the immigrants eager to get to Greece in 1996. I arrived after more than a year of adventures on the Iraqi borders. I entered through one of the country’s beautiful islands, Rodos.

I have lived in Greece for 5 years and during my time there I have seen many thousands of Iraqi immigrants passing through Athens, most of them staying for a short time only to travel, often illegally and in unsafe ways, to other European counties.

The city of dreams remained only a dream for some people, who drowned or were killed by landmines as they tried to cross seas and mountains to Greece! It was a tragedy for those who saw their families drown or killed before their eyes without being able to lift a finger to help them!

I am sure the media reported these tragedies that happened that time, especially as the dead were from one of the richest countries in the world!

I have tried in this short film to portray a portion of my memory, which is still full of the events and adventures I have had in Athens. I tell this story by images only because in many cases I only saw the images and I didn’t hear the conversation!

I was 16 years old when an Iraqi director asked me if I want to be part of his play, Mahadi Al Zubaidy the Iraqi director was in Arbil city in 1991, in that time the north of Iraq, Kurdistan became separated from the former Iraqi regime, everything was new in this part of Iraq, I think everyone who liked to breathe the air of freedom and want it to express himself Kurdistan was the best place for that, of course because the general climate wasn't perfect in the other part of Iraq.

I was coming home with my friend Tarik Abdula from my Secondary school (Al jumhury Collage ) republic Collage, we met this guy (Mahdy Al zubady) he said hello to Tarik and then Tarik introduced me to him and he told me this is a theatre director and he is our family friend. In few weeks Tarik told me that there is rehearsal for a play, would you like to come, he asked me? In 30 minute we went in a big building in the canter of Arbil call Public building (qahat Al shahb) this building was very famous in Arbil it was the best social activity place in Arbil.

The director asked me if I want to be part of the group and if I want to acting? I told him in forthright that I want, but I don't want to acting, I want to be an assistant director.

كنت في السادسة عشرة من عمري عندما سألني مخرج عراقي اذا اريد ان اكون جزء من المسرحية الذي يقوم هو باخراجه؟ كان المخرج مهدي الزبيدي يعيش في مدينة اربيل الواقعه في شمال العراق عام 1991. في ذالك الوقت كان كوردستان العراق قد تحرر و انفصل اداريا عن النظام السابق في العراق, , كانت تجربة جديدة من كل نواحيهة, و انني اعتقد ان كل من كان متعطشأ لهواء الحرية و اراد ان يعبر عن نفسه بحرية, كان شمال العراق احسن مكان لجميع العراقيين. طبعا هذا لان هذه الاجواء و هذا السقف من الحرية لم يكن موجودا في باقي اجزاء العراق انذاك.

كنت في طريق العودة من المدرسة( كنا ندرس في متوسط الجمهورية للبنين ) الى البيت مع احد اصدقائي اسمه طارق عندما سلم علينا شخص و قام بمصافحتنا و بعدها عرفنا طارق على بعض و قال انه مخرج مسرحي و انه صديق للعائلة.

بعد بعض اسابيع, قال لي طارق ان هناك عمل مسرحي و ان يعض من اصدقائنا قد شاركو به و اليوم مجتمعين لكي يتدربو على المسرحية, سالني هل تريد الذهاب؟ بعدها بنصف ساعة كنا قد وصلنا الى احد البنايات الضخمه الواقعة وسط المدينة (مدينة اربيل). كانت البناية مشهوره ببناية الشعب و كانت مشهورة باقامة الفعاليات الاجتماعية فيه.

سالني المخرج اذا اريد الانضمام الى المجوعة و اذا اريد ان امثل؟ جاوبته بدون تردد نعم اريد ان اكون معكم و لكني اريد ان اكون مساعد مخرج.